During August, and especially on International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31st), we remember and honor the lives of those who lost their battle with Substance Use Disorder.  During September, which has been designated by SAMHSA as National Recovery Month, we realign our perspectives to honoring and supporting those who have embraced recovery over active addiction.  September has beco...

Hello Community! At the end of each cycle for the Trenton Municipal Alliance Grant, the Coordinator- along with the Mercer County Division of Youth does an undertaking called The Calendar Project. We specifically ask them to express how drugs, alcohol, and violence has shaped their lives and they express that through poems, drawings, and paintings. We collaborate with primary and middle school stu...

Please Join Us for this Virtual Event! Zoom link: Zoom Link for IOAD Event on Thursday August 27th Meeting ID: 867 8890 9129 Passcode: 640777

  Due to the COVID19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing protocols, there has been an increased need for virtual programs. To fulfill this need and continue our mission to reduce substance abuse through education, Mercer Council has put together a host of Virtual Programs that will benefit our community organizations and partners. Please take a look and share with others the programs of...

The Perfect Storm When opioid addiction and COVID-19 diverge or meet head-on this has created the perfect storm. Both catastrophic events have caused unprecedented challenges to the healthcare system impacting the care that is vital to our patient/client population. COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives from uncertainty of our health as well as our families, unemployment, financial conce...

 Cadca Mid-Year Training Institute Members of the Mercer Council had the honor and privilege of attending the 2020 CADCA’s Virtual Mid-Year Training Institute. Barbara Sprechman, Amy Argiriou, Vanessa DeRosa, and Malissa Arnold spent the week of July 26-30th in intensive, informative, and enlightening virtual workshops. Attendees had over 80 training sessions to choose from. Topics ranged fro...

  On July 23rd, the Prevention Coalition of Mercer County, Mercer Council and WBCB 1490AM Radio collaborated together to broadcast an hour-long forum on the impact of COVID 19 on the student athletes' social and emotional well-being.  Panelists included Jon Adams, Athletic Director of Nottingham High School in Hamilton Township, Bill Bruno from NJSIAA and Dr. Mike Gross, a clinical and s...

                                                                              As New Jersey begins to slowly open up bars and restaurants, two alcohol establishments in Mercer County are taking advant...

For the last day of Pride month at 2 PM, we are hosting a Netflix watch party featuring the documentary The Life and Death of Marsha P. Johnson. Marsha P. Johnson was a Black trans woman that was an icon of the LGBTQ+ movement and was considered a heroine of the Stonewall Riots.  Many are unaware that the LGBTQ+ community has an alarmingly high rate of substance use challenges.  Man...

  We are living through a pandemic that most of us have never experienced in our lifetimes.  Recessions, depressions, wars, the Spanish Influenza, COVID-19 – do you know what all these national crises have in common?  Alcohol sales flourish during times of uncertainty and stress.  Nationally, alcohol sales have increased in stores by 29% since late March – and 291% through onli...

Our hearts are heavy, as we mourn and attempt to process the lives we've recently lost, who were taken from their families and communities too soon, unjustly and unfairly.  As we sit and reflect on the recent tragedies, we understand and acknowledge that this racial and systematic injustice has been pervasive and long standing and that the result has been countless loss of lives for so many b...

  Recently, Merrill Reese of WBCB Radio, the "Voice of the Philadelphia Eagles" recorded two PSAs for the Prevention Coalition to help us spread awareness to parents of student athletes to keep them safe from prescription opioid misuse.  Student athletes are considered a high-risk population for opioid use and misuse because of their greater risk of injury and also becuase of a greater o...

Our thoughts are with our community, colleagues, partners, first responders and front line and essential workers during this challenging time! We are in this together, and because of that, we are stronger. Thinking of you and sending positive energy for health and well-being. Our staff have been very hard at work, continuing to deliver important services to the community, in meaningful and creativ...

What do trampolines, toy trucks, popsicles, water talkies, earmuffs, and pringles hooks have in common? They were all invented by kids! May is National Inventor's Month! It's time to celebrate creativity and the inventions made by children and adults both in the past and present. Put on your thinking caps and check out the list of resources below dedicated to this topic. You might just discover th...

Prevention happens all year round, but next week has traditionally been the official week to celebrate and promote prevention! It’s up to all of us to take part in preventing substance abuse in our communities. Check out some of the top federal publications, campaigns, and resources related to each of the NPW daily themes below, and visit the NPW Prevention Resources page for more resources from t...

On May 5, 2020, people all around the world are coming together to tap into the power of human connection and strengthen communities at the  grassroots level. Will you be one of them? We will be one of those participating organizations and we need your help!  As a result of the pandemic, there will be trauma and increased incidences of substance use as a way for people to cope....

Geetha Arulmohan was the Executive Director of Mercer Council for over fourteen years .It was her personal mission to reduce the devastation caused by addiction in the Mercer County area. Her dedication to her work was well known in the community over many years.  Prior to accepting the position of Executive Director of the Mercer Council, Geetha had been employed at the Crisis Center at...

"IN TIMES OF GREAT STRESS OR ADVERSITY, IT'S ALWAYS BEST TO KEEP BUSY, TO PLOW YOUR ANGER AND YOUR ENERGY INTO SOMETHING POSITIVE."                                                               Lee Iacocca As we continue with our Covid-19 lockdo...

Today Is April 20th- 4/20,  Do you know what this might mean?  Often it is referred to as "Weed Day".   Many myths exist about 4/20-  No, it isn't the police code for Marijuana Use! While it IS a date, historically it is linked to the time of day that youth use- after school and club responsibilities, and usually when parents are at work and there is little supervision.&nb...

Tough Times Don't Last, But Tough People Do. As we all are enduring this difficult unprecented time during the COVID-19 pandemic, may the above underlined quote serve as a reminder that this time will pass and we will come out of it stronger than ever. With many unknowns surrounding us along with the stress, fear, and concern that individuals are facing, remembering the inner strengths we each pos...