Oceanside
SAFE Coalition

Oceanside SAFE Coalition hosted a press conference about Community Youth Substance Misuse Prevention, enforcement of the Social Host Law of Nassau County and awareness of the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” with the help of our community partners at the Oceanside Library. Our amazing lineup of speakers included Congresswoman Laura Gillen, Assemblyman Ari Brown, Assemblywoman Judy Griffin, Councilwoman Laura Ryder, Nassau County Legislator Patrick Mullaney, Nassau County Deputy Chief of Detectives William Leahy and Executive Director of Long Beach AWARE Judi Vining.

View the full press conference here!

Read the article here!

Thank you to our amazing volunteers and all community members who came by to safely dispose of over 150 pounds of unused medications!

Mount Sinai South Nassau shared the results of their latest Truth in Medicine Poll on Alcohol Use and Cancer Risk on April 9th 2024. According to the poll, a majority of New Yorkers are considering drinking less alcohol encouraging others to do so as a result of the Surgeon Generals warning about a strong association between drinking alcohol and increased cancer risk. SAFE was invited to participate on the panel to share a community perspective as it pertains to societal norms associated with underage drinking. Thank you to Mount Sinai South Nassau for having us and hosting such an important discussion!

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See Video Here

Read Herald Article Here

The Oceanside SAFE Coalition was so proud to honor two of our incredible members - Chris Munzing and Jacqueline Padin. Recipients of the “Commitment to Excellence” Award, Chris and Jacqueline are both local parents whose passion for making their community a safer place for their children has been the driving force of their commitment to Oceanside SAFE. They have both spearheaded several different community initiatives that encourage and enhance community connection and promote safe environments for local youth. We are so proud to have Chris and Jacqueline on our team, and the Oceanside Community is even luckier to have them out there making a difference for us all!

Oceanside SAFE Coalition is ready for another year of planning and implementing environmental strategies to prevent and reduce youth substance use in our community!

After seeing some discussions on local community pages regarding whether or not parents allow parties with alcohol for their teens at home; we thought it may be a good time to share some local data!

And a reminder that Nassau County has a Social Host Ordinance. This means persons over 18 cannot knowingly allow the consumption of alcohol in private residences. Penalties can include fines, or even face up to one year in prison.

For information on how to host SAFE parties at home or have difficult conversations concerning substance use and misuse with your teens - contact us at Oceanside SAFE Coalition today!

It was a beautiful evening of remembrance, awareness and education at this years Overdose Awareness Day. Visit our events page for a full recap or check out this article in the LI Oceanside / Island Park Herald.

Lead by our incredible OHS Youth Council; this years "Creating Connections" was once again an incredible success! This initiative has become an annual project geared toward decreasing Low Commitment to School and Attitudes toward AntiSocial Behavior. It presents the opportunity for students to identify their most trusted teachers and spend time "connecting" with them in creative ways!

In the spirit of Drug and Alcohol Facts Week - students also included a virtual Jeopardy style Drug and Alcohol quiz which was a huge hit among students and staff. We are so proud of our incredible Youth Council members for the continual growth of this truly amazing prevention initiative!

Thanks to our funding from DFC (Drug Free Communities), Oceanside SAFE Coalition has been able to bring the NY State Alcohol Training Awareness Program to local businesses within our community free of charge.

With ATAP Training and Certification, employees learn their rights, responsibilities, and liabilities regarding underage and intoxicated customers. Stores establish a standard policy to address checking IDs and supervising their premises, as well as learn to recognize valid forms of ID.

Collectively, through this SAFE campaign licensed premises can play a large role in creating a safer Oceanside for everyone!

Interested in training your business?

Contact info@oceansidesafe.org today!

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Learn how you can be a part of our community wide underage drinking prevention campaign. Click here to learn more about Be The Wall, and contact us for your FREE campaign materials today!

The Blue Ribbon Coalition credential is part of CADCA's new program that recognizes high performing coalitions that do an exceptional job creating a foundation for their work by updating and utilizing their coalition products.

Click here for the full list of Blue Ribbon Coalitions!

Did you miss one of our Virtual Workshops, and want to know how you can access the information? Our sessions are recorded and available for you to view any time! Directly following an event - you can access all information and important links on our Events Page under "Event Details" and then under "Event Recap".

8/31/20 - Teen Impact Insight Driving (With The Oceanside Library and Mount Sinai South Nassau Communities Hospital)

10/1/20 - Substance Use and Abuse in Youth, and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic (With The Mental Health and Wellness Center at Molloy College)

4/22/21 - A Community Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention (With Oceanside School District's Drug Advisory and Wellness Council, NY National Guard CounterDrug Task Forcre and LI Crisis Center)

10/28/21 - Addressing the Effects of Marijuana Legalization on Youth (in partnership with Oceanside School District's Drug Advisory and Wellness Council)

6/16/22 - The Power of Parents (in partnership with M.A.D.D NY / NJ / PA and Oceanside Library)

Visit our Press Page for articles on Oceanside SAFE Coalition's efforts through the years.

From the desk of "The Tall Cop" - Drug Trends to be aware of this Spring

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Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) recently launched a new Substack called The Drug Review. It will showcase original content on all things drug policy and discourse, especially with regards to marijuana. Check it out here!

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Does Cannabis use contribute to the onset of Schizophrenia? A published in Biomolecules in March of this year found that “cannabinoids likely contribute to chronic psychotic events and schizophrenia, especially if taken during adolescence.” Read the review here

Keep up to date with all our upcoming activities, resources, and news.

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