Drug initiative unveiled

Dec. 22, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - A new United Way-sponsored Substance Abuse Initiative aims to start the work needed to address substance abuse in the Valley.

To that end, the organization held a recent substance-abuse summit.

&#8220Our goal was to bring together people and organizations who have a stake,” said Michelle Bosau, executive director of United Way. &#8220We invited law enforcement, social service agencies, the school district and legislators. We fed them and then said, ‘Now you have to work.'”

The result was six task forces with meeting dates, with the United Way acting as the information hub, to address the unspoken problems caused by substance abuse, Bosau said. The United Way made a 10-year commitment to stem the increases in substance abuse, she said.

&#8220We're going to bang the drum to keep this thing going,” she said.

Elizabeth Ripley, a two-term member of the board of directors, said she suggested at a retreat that the United Way create a steering committee to find out whether a substance-abuse initiative was needed.

&#8220So we got together and got nothing but affirmation that we need to plan to reduce substance abuse,” Ripley said. &#8220This is a win-win for

everybody.”

Everywhere she goes in the community, she sees it's an issue, she said.

&#8220This issue touches all families in some way,” she said.

Reducing substance abuse will have a positive effect on employers, health-care providers, law enforcement and the school district, she said.

&#8220Obviously, there are huge costs,” she said. &#8220Not just financial, but also human.”

Bosau said two panels of locals laid the ground work at the Grand View on Dec. 8, including representatives from the police, hospital and the school district, as well as people who spoke about how substance abuse affected their lives.

&#8220We had a mom who lost her son to alcohol poisoning, a couple in recovery,”

Bosau said.

Donn Bennice, executive director of Alaska Family Services, said the gathering was powerful, even though he knew a lot about the issue going in.

&#8220To me, personally, this is the No. 1 issue,” Bennice said. &#8220It's hard to plan if you don't know how prevalent it is.”

There are no reliable databases indicating how prevalent substance abuse is in Alaska, or in the Valley, he said. To get any numbers at all, social service agencies have taken national numbers and tried to extrapolate data, with no consistent methodology, he said.

&#8220It's apples and oranges,” he said. &#8220Our legislators are looking for statistics, but you can't look them in the eye and say, ‘This is reliable,'” he said. &#8220When you ask for prevention money, you need something reliable.”

For Angella Long, deputy chief of the Wasilla police, the best part of the initiative is that it brings together so many different fields to look at what contributes to the problem of substance abuse.

&#8220It's so nice to see a problem tackled from that aspect,” Long said. &#8220To see what we can do to keep it from becoming a problem in the first place.”

Substance abuse is a big and growing problem and drives much of the crime in the Valley, she said.

Law enforcement has been aware of the problem for a long time, said Chief Russ Boatright of the Palmer Police Department.

&#8220Some of them are just waking up to it,” Boatright said. &#8220It just now seems to be coming to light. Unfortunately, what I see is competition. Way too many people are very possessive of their own program.

&#8220But to be really successful, you have to look at the entire picture. I don't much believe in rule by committee. It's a very slow and arduous process and hard to get a

consensus.”

There is no magic bullet, and no one answer, Ripley said.

&#8220This will be a plan for our community with many components,” she said.

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.