Mercer Council News

On Monday, December 2 nd , 2019, New Pod Cast City’s, Trenton Waves podcast, featured me and my affiliation with Mercer Council and the Trenton Municipal Alliance Committee. Below is the link to the conversation- it is funny, weird, and gets crazy at certain parts, but in its authenticity there were moments of interesting dialogue between myself and the hosts (Frank and Christina). One moment that...

On the third Thursday of November, every year for more than 40 years, there has been an event called the Great American Smokeout. This tradition emerged from an effort started in 1970, where a man named Arthur P. Mullaney asked his town to give up smoking for a day and donate the money they would have used on cigarettes on a high school scholarship. Several other efforts followed, and Califor...

On October 24th and 25th, I had the pleasure of being trained in the Strengthening Families Program (SPF). It was an intense two day training that was powerful and informative. It is a program that is very easy to follow and one that I am sure is very rewarding for the families and the facilitators when the program is completed. SFP is a 14- session evidenced based family skills training program. ...

    Cotton candy, gummy bear, banana smash and mint. Enticing flavors tobacco companies are using to hook a new generation of kids to their products. A ploy they’ve been using for decades -- because it works. According to the 2019 Youth Tobacco Survey, 97% of youth e-cigarette users choose flavors and four out of five who have used tobacco started with a flavored product. That’s because ...

Mercer Council Opioid Overdose Recovery Program (OORP) team members met this afternoon for their November staff meeting.   OORP’s trained and uniquely qualified Recovery Specialists (Peers) are individuals with lived experience who are in recovery from substance related challenges. Peers are dispatched to Mercer County hospitals/emergency departments to meet bedside with i...

A new drunk driving law is in effect that will require convicted first time offenders with a legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 to install ignition interlock devices as a means to stop them from driving while intoxicated. The new law also applies to individuals who refuse to provide a breath test after they are pulled over. Individuals convicted of drunk driving will be required to blo...

On Wednesday October 16, the ASYSST Program at Ewing High School Hosted an Educational Leadership Presentation, facilitated by Al Hall, CEO of Dream Catchers LLC., for the high school Freshman and Seniors while the juniors and sophomores were taking their PSAT exam.  The event  entitled "Being a Real Leader" was held in the auditorium and impacted nearly 400 students.  Some of the a...

On Saturday, October 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 18th opportunity in nine years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to your local police station. (Sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or pat...

Mercer Council was moved by the generosity of community members in attendance at our 2nd Annual Benefit Luncheon and Silent Auction, held on September 24, 2019, at the Stone Terrace by John Henry's in Hamilton, NJ.  Various sectors of the community contributed to this event, including Luncheon attendees, donators, special guest speakers, dignitaries and sponsors.  Proceeds from...

  A vigil in a local park will bring awareness to addiction while honoring the individuals and families of those battling the disease.  An Overdose Awareness Day vigil is set for Tuesday, August 27th at Woolsey Park in Hopewell Township.  The event starts at 5:30pm and includes guest speakers, grief and recovery support and a candlelight memorial.  This is the fourth annual Int...

(Barbara Sprechman gives her Community Champion Acceptance Speech) Last night, I was privleged to have attended Campfire NJ's 19th annual Golf Outing Fundraiser.  Campfire is a wonderful organization that serves the youth of our communities in a variety of ways.  Because of their dedication to and passion for shaping our youth, they deserve to be supported and celebrated.  It was a ...

Athletes are more prone to injuries that could result in getting prescribed prescription opioids (narcotic pain relievers), which can lead to misuse, addiction, an even accidental overdose or death.  Mercer Council and the Prevention Coalition of Mercer County are working together to raise awareness of potential opioid use disorders among student athletes, and to provide evidence-based inform...

The 2018-2019 school year has concluded, and the Protecting You, Protecting Me (PYPM) alcohol use prevention program for grades K-5 was delivered to students at Washington Elementary School in Trenton, NJ. Over 300 students participated in PYPM, and all grades K-5 were reached! Thank you to all the staff and students who welcomed me into their school to provide this beneficial program! When asked ...

Please see the below message from Governor Phil Murphy. This is an amazing chance to take advantage of an opportunity to be equipped with this critical life saving medication!  For more information Click here .

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held one day during the last week in August each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury as a result of drug overdose.  Knowing the real facts about drugs and what to do ...

Wow, Mercer Council has been truly blessed.  We have been chosen by Stop & Shop store leadership as the benefiting non-profit in the Community Bag Program for  June .   You can help  Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction will receive a $1 donation every time a $2.50 Community Bag is sold during the month of June at the Shop & Shop...

Mercer Council was visited on May 14th, by 3 individuals from the State of New Jersey, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, who are involved at the state level in the Opioid Overdose Recovery Program (OORP).  DMHAS representatives at Mercer Council's monthly OORP meeting, sung their praise for Mercer Council's OORP program, indicating in 2018, Mercer Council successfully linked 4...

    Mercer Council and The Prevention Coalition of Mercer County are pleased to announce their 6th Annual Excellence in Prevention Awards breakfast to be held on Wednesday, June 12th.  This annual event honors those individuals, agencies, associations and companies from around the county that have made significant contributions over the past year to ensure the health, safety and wel...

  Thousands of the cannabis products line store shelves, but determining what’s safe is up to you.  What factors should you consider when purchasing these products to ensure safety?  What do you need to know about CBD and in what form should it be used?  Is it important to know where it was grown and how much THC it contains?  Find out the answers to these questions and mo...

When we know better we do better.  For example, did you know that teens who use alcohol before age 15 are  SIX TIMES  more likely to become alcohol dependent than those that begin drinking at age 21?  We also now know that the brain is still developing until age 24-25 and can be damaged by just a few episodes of binge drinking.  Some parents today still think it's oka...