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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Pasco ASAP

Plenty on tap for Pasco ASAP in 2019

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As it continues its mission to reduce the overuse and misuse of illicit drugs and alcohol, the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention has witnessed progress during several areas during the past year.

During 2018, Pasco County:

  • Saw its drug poisoning death rate, or overdoses, register a slight decrease — for the first time since 2014
  • Reported lower figures of illicitly used prescription pain relievers among its high school student population
  • Saw a decline in alcohol usage among youth in the county
  • Registered dips in other alcohol-use indicators, such as underaged drinking and impaired driving

Chrissie Parris, interim director for the alliance, which is also known as ASAP, characterized those reports as “big wins” and “good signs” for the county during a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) interim coordinator Chrissie Parris (Courtesy of Chrissie Parris)

“The message seems to be getting out there,” Parris said, regarding the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

But, there continues to be much work to be done by ASAP — a coalition which seeks to address the underlying issues of addiction, and ways to address and prevent it in among youths and adults.

The opioid crisis will continue to be a priority area for ASAP in 2019, Parris said.

Reducing alcohol abuse will be a key issue, too.

Parris said ASAP has seen an increase in total deaths in related to alcohol overconsumption —despite the decline in alcohol usage in the youth population countywide.

Chronic liver disease also remains one of the top 10 causes of death in Pasco, she said.

“Alcohol is never off of the table,” Parris said. “It’s still the most prevalent drug that we see.”

Meanwhile, she said the organization will seek to address a drug that has popped up on its radar of late: methamphetamine.

More drug users have turned to meth as law enforcement and health organizations crack down on other substances, she added.

“A lot of it has to do with availability and accessibility,” Parris said, also noting that meth “creates a strong psychological dependence very quickly.”

Parris said ASAP is trying to find ways to interface with meth users in the county.

Parris put it this way: “We have a hard time finding out, ‘What’s the underlying cause there?’ and ‘Why are we still turning to meth?’ It seems to be more of a cultural thing in certain pockets of the county.”

Another “big priority” for ASAP this year is reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, Parris said.

Part of that involves increasing awareness regarding the need to recognize early signs and symptoms of possible mental illness, and helping those who are struggling to gain access to assistance.

The coalition also is working on several programming tracks with health care professionals, recovery community organizations and the faith-based community, to provide more awareness on available resources for substance abuse prevention and recovery.

There will also be several workshops and other general meetings throughout the year to engage youth, parents and other community members, Parris said.

“We’re trying to help everybody work better together, to fill in those gaps in services or pockets of need in our community.

“We’ll continue to build our action plans around drugs that we see trends with in Pasco County,” Parris said.

The alliance also plans to have its annual conference, “Strengthening Our Communities on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,” on May 14 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The event’s keynote speaker is Austin Eubanks, a Columbine survivor, who will discuss how he treated a lot of his emotional pain with opioids he was prescribed after being shot in the school shooting, and what communities can do for prevention, treatment, recovery and relapse prevention for substance abuse.

“It’s pretty powerful,” Parris said of Eubanks’ talk. “We’re really excited to have him on board.”

For more information on ASAP, visit PascoASAP.com, or call (727) 315-8658.

Published January 23, 2019

Sharing strategies to prevent substance abuse

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While there are no easy ways to stop substance abuse, there are steps that can be taken to reduce it.

Those strategies will be the focus of discussion during the fifth annual Substance Abuse Prevention Conference planned for April 29 at Saddlebrook Resort.

The event is being presented by BayCare Behavioral Health and Pasco ASAP. The conference is from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 5700 Saddlebrook Way in Wesley Chapel.

Lt. Commander Michael Muni, who served on President Obama’s Task Force on Heroin, will address the need for local heroes to help reduce substance abuse. (Photos courtesy of PascoAsap.com)
Lt. Commander Michael Muni, who served on President Obama’s Task Force on Heroin, will address the need for local heroes to help reduce substance abuse.
(Photos courtesy of PascoAsap.com)

“It’s a community conference, so it’s really our opportunity to get new people to take a stake in the coalition and the work of the coalition,” said Monica Rousseau, Pasco County ASAP Coordinator and conference co-chair.

The conference theme is “Strengthening Our Community: Creating Healthy Solutions.”

Throughout the day, speakers and presenters will share their expertise, solutions and tools. There also will be more than 20 vendors representing behavioral health providers and businesses. There will be panel discussions and breakout sessions, as well as keynote speakers.

“From my perspective, the main goal is to get people pumped about tackling substance abuse disorders and substance misuse in Pasco County, and getting people to realize that everybody has a stake in this, and everybody can do something,” Rousseau said.

Substance abuse is a problem that has wide-ranging impacts and can’t simply be left to “others” to resolve, she said.

“These are not just issues that need to be solved by politicians. They’re not just issues that need to be solved by community leaders. Regular, everyday, community members — parents, teachers, people without kids. Everybody has a role,” Rousseau said.

“It’s not just people that are abusing or misusing drugs that are affected. Everybody is affected,” she added.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano, a former Florida lawmaker who spearheaded the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, will open the conference.

BayCare Health System’s CEO Stephen R. Mason will talk about wellness and health care integration at the conference.
BayCare Health System’s CEO Stephen R. Mason will talk about wellness and health care integration at the conference.

Other speakers include BayCare Healthcare System’s CEO Stephen R. Mason, who will talk about wellness and health care integration and Lt. Commander Michael Muni, who served on President Obama’s Task Force on Heroin.

“The real takeaway from this conference is that people will learn strategies,” Rousseau said.

“You will come and be inspired to take home solutions to apply to where you live, work and play,” she added.

One panel will feature Kurt Browning, superintendent, Pasco County Schools; Doug Leonardo, executive director, BayCare Behavioral Health; Kelly Mothershead, owner, A Focus on Fitness Transformation Studio and Salon; Michael J. Napier, administrator, Florida Department of Health Pasco County; Chris Nocco, Pasco County Sheriff, and Kathryn Starkey, Pasco County Commissioner. Panelists will address the community’s response to substance abuse in Pasco County.

“Each of them are tackling substance abuse, in one way or another,” Rousseau said.

Young people will be moderating the Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s panel, and will be raising questions on a number of issues, Rousseau said.

The conference also will address an effort that’s underway to respond to substance abuse differently than in the past, she said.

Previously, she said, “substance abuse has been treated as a separate entity. We’re really trying to move toward integrating it into general health and wellness conversations.

“By treating it as something separate, we’re only facilitating that stigma,” she said.

Rousseau said the community also needs to change its mindset about the issue.

“When I moved here, people asked me: ‘Why would you move here? This is the pill capital of the world, and it’s never going to change.’ And, I would look at them and go, ‘No, I’m here to change that.’’’

People need to realize: “You’re making it worse by saying that,” Rousseau said.

She hopes the conference will help inspire more people to get involved in her coalition, which is made up of volunteers.

“We know anecdotally that teachers really need help. They don’t know how to de-escalate the situation. They don’t know what to do with students who are presenting with behavioral problems. And, it’s burning them out.

“We need to teach them (teachers) strategies. We need to teach parents strategies.

“In order to do that and have a big impact, we need community members who are interested enough and passionate enough to learn this information, and share it,” Rousseau said.

Fifth annual Substance Abuse Conference
Speakers will talk about strategies to reduce substance abuse
When: April 29, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Saddlebrook Resort, 5700 Saddlebrook Way in Wesley Chapel
Cost: $15 until April 20; $25 after that. Lunch is included.
To learn more about the conference and to register, visit PascoAsap.com.

Published April 20, 2016