Healthy Choices Bulletin

Mental Health Awareness Month was established to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in our lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness and thriving while living with chronic conditions. Mental Health Awareness Month focuses on increasing awareness about the vital role mental health plays in our overall health and well-being.

Resources for Parents and Families:

• Mental Health Treatment Works
• Help Prevent Suicide
• Resources for Families Coping with Mental and Substance Use Disorders
• Mental Health Myths and Facts
• Talking about Mental Health
• Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention - "Create Resilience" Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention helps improve youth mental health by bringing attention to how we can encourage help-seeking behavior, eliminate silence, shame and stigma, increase family and community support, enhance availability of treatment, as well as by sharing new ways we help those at risk for suicide.

Check out these resources from the Truth Initiative;

• Article on Multiple tobacco and nicotine product use
• Ex Program - a proven-effective digital cessation program
• Article on the rise in nicotine sold through oral nicotine pouches

Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties' Tobacco Prevention and Education Program (TPEP) teams are gathering information from local middle and high schools about how they store and dispose of confiscated e- cigarettes/vape devices

Please take 5 minutes to respond to this survey

Survey data will be compiled into an aggregate report. No individual school data will be shared. Your responses will remain confidential.

Check out this informational webinar on the impacts of Vape Waste from PAVE - Parent Against Vaping and E-Cigarettes.

Tim Nicholas, School Climate Specialist at Scott School, goes above and beyond to build strong relationships with students and make sure they feel supported every day. As one of the top “walkie responders” at the school and a member of the ASERT team, Tim takes the time to truly get to know students and check in with them before challenges arise. Through his calm presence and consistency, he helps students work through conflicts and creates an environment where students know they have someone they can trust.

Tim’s impact is felt across the Scott community. Recently, during a referral to the district’s Rapid Response Team, a student, their family, and staff all identified Tim as a trusted adult in the student’s life. His relationships with students have helped improve attendance, even in some of the most difficult cases. Tim goes above and beyond to make sure students feel supported, connected, and successful throughout the day.

The Big Village Coalition, through Multnomah County, is working to better understand the impact that high-ABV flavored alcoholic beverages, often called “alco-pops,” have on youth in our community. These sweet, flavored alcoholic drinks can sometimes seem harmless but may contribute to risky drinking behaviors and alcohol-related harm among young people.

They want to learn more about the types of alcohol people under 21 are most likely to drink and better understand what young people think, see, and experience when it comes to these products. Community feedback will help inform future conversations and potential policy considerations aimed at reducing underage drinking and supporting healthier, safer communities.

If you work with or interact with young people, they encourage you to complete this anonymous survey based on what you know, think, see, or hear about youth alcohol use in the community. Perspectives from both inside and outside of school settings are valuable and appreciated. There are no right or wrong answers, honest feedback is what matters most.

Take the survey here: Youth Alco-Pops Community Survey

Both Recovery High Schools in the Portland area - Rivercrest through MESD and Harmony Academy, which is a charter through Lake Oswego district, are offering summer school for students who need credit recovery and want to be in a recovery centered learning environment.

This program would be a good fit for high school students who are credit deficient and interested in stopping or reducing their substance use. It will be recovery based programming at both schools.

Students do not have to be enrolled in either program right now, but if they are interested, they should begin the enrollment process as soon as possible.

For admissions at Harmony, click here.

For admissions at Rivercrest, click here.

The Drug Free Communities grant, through Student Success & Health, in partnership with the Multnomah County Behavioral Health Division partnered to host Empoderando Familias - Empowering Families on Saturday, April 25th. This joy filled event was a free, Spanish-language gathering that brought families together to learn about parenting for substance use prevention and wellness. It focused on offering important information and resources in a welcoming, family friendly space, and a culturally responsive setting.

The program featured a resource fair connecting families with local organizations, a keynote speaker, and a panel discussion focused on parenting for prevention and supporting youth. A delicious lunch was provided, along with time for families to connect with one another and learn about services available in their community.

All panelists were prevention professionals, helping ensure the information shared was practical and relevant. Held as part of a Children’s Day celebration, Empoderando Familias offered families clear, accessible information and evidenced based strategies they can use to help their family thrive.