International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is August 31st. There are many IOAD events across Rhode Island beginning August 29th. Attendees will have the opporuntity to learn more about overdose prevention, interact with recovery resources, and honor loved ones.

The Rally4Recovery is a free annual event to celebrate recovery from alcohol and/or drug  addiction and recognize September as National Recovery Month! We encourage all of those who are in recovery, seeking recovery, who love someone in recovery or are impacted by addiction to come join us as we celebrate the fact that recovery IS a reality! The event will have food, job fair resources, recovery resources, activities for children and more. 

The webinar will lead participants through an introduction of harm reducation (HR), how HR practices and services save lives and improve equity within the SUD continuum of care, best practices for engaging affected populations, and resource highlights from Rhode Island.

The RI Orientation Guide was developed by the RIPRC with guidance from BHDDH, and has been updated this year! The Guide was created with the purpose of providing an overview of the Task Forces’ mission, structure and functioning, and key activities, all within the context of the Rhode Island behavioral health system.

Rhode Island Teen Institute (RITI) is proud to present their first ever e-newsletter! Last summer, after a 13-year hiatus, RITI was brought back with 59 youth and adult participants. Having experienced an outpour of success, RITI will be back this summer from August 12-16, 2024 at Camp Canonicus in Exeter. Applications are now open!

Drug Take Back Day is a campaign that encourages the safe disposal of unnecessary medications in an effort to prevent medication misuse. Thanks to our local substance use prevention community, Rhode Island’s April 2024 Drug Take Back Day was a success!

Applications are currently being accepted for RI Teen Institute’s Camp Canonicus happening August 12-16th, 2024! RITI is an overnight leadership training for RI youth entering 10-12th grade. Teens are nominated by an adults who recognizes their leadership abilities or potential. A $25 fee includes: 5 days/4 nights lodging and food, team-building, action planning, Project Adventure, workshops, talent show, general sessions, dance, process groups, and optional activities such as swimming, athletics, crafts, and more! Scholarships are available.

Contact RITeenInstitute@gmail.com to learn more, or to receive a youth application, adult staff application, or adult sponsor form.

Save the date for the next National Drug Take Back Day – Saturday, April 27th from 10am-2pm. Click here to find a drop-off location!

The RI Governor’s Council on Behavioral Health’s Prevention Advisory Committee and RI Student Assistance Services (RISAS) are proud to co-host Rhode Island’s third statewide prevention conference on April 11th, 2024 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI. Registration is now live for RI-PREVCON 2024, To Equity and Beyond: Powered by Prevention Science!, and we hope to see you there.

Harm reduction is everywhere and is implemented to reduce harm to people in our communities. The Harm Reduction Guide for Prevention Professionals in Rhode Island was developed by BHDDH, in partnership with the New England PTTC. The Guide includes:

• A definition of harm reduction
• Shared goals and priorities
• Collaboration across the continuum
• Best and innovative practices
• Resources

Rhode Island’s “Stack the Deck” initiative aims to empower everyone with harm reduction tools and resources to successfully find care through compassionate, human connection and use substances more safely.

The Rhode Island Department of Health has updated their Overdose Spike Alert notification system to be more accessible to the public. Alerts go out when a particular region within the state exceeds its established threshold based on non-fatal overdose data from emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency departments (EDs). This collaborative response informs residents, municipal leaders, public safety and healthcare professionals, harm reduction organizations, and other stakeholders of increased drug overdose activity. Data is updated daily.  To sign up for alerts, click here. 

The Town of East Greenwich convened both students and adults on Monday, December 4th, to talk about what is being done to address lingering issues facing students following the COVID-19 pandemic. This is part of East Greenwich’s implementation of the state’s Learn365RI program. Read the article here.

Drug Take Back Day is a campaign that encourages the safe disposal of unnecessary medications in an effort to prevent medication misuse. Thanks to our local substance use prevention community, Rhode Island’s October 2023 Drug Take Back Day was a success!

The 2024 revised RI Study Guide was designed as a study aid to help prevention professionals prepare for and pass the Rhode Island Prevention Specialist Certification Exam. The Guide includes edits and updates made to the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) prevention specialist exam.

National Drug Take Back Day will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023 from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Click the button to see a list of RI’s permanent prescription drug disposal sites so that you can safely dispose of any unwanted or unused medications!

The results of the 2022 RI Student Survey (RISS) have been analyzed to compare LGBTQ+ students with their heterosexual and cisgender peers to determine the extent of the disparities experienced by LGBTQ+ youth in Rhode Island. The results of this analysis are presented within the 2022 LGBTQ+ RISS Data Brief.

This SAMHSA advisory (June, 2023) discusses the epidemiology of the mental health symptoms and conditions of Long COVID, provides evidence-based resources for the treatment of those conditions, and offers possible resources.

SAMHSA has released a new data report, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Behavioral Health: Results from the 2021 and 2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Findings from the report indicate that lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults are more likely than straight adults to use substances, experience mental health conditions including major depressive episodes, and experience serious thoughts of suicide.

Join us from 10am-12pm on April 29th at the Ocean Community YMCA (Acadia Branch) for snacks, crafts, vendors, face painting, and more! Event is free and open to the public.

The RI Office of Health and Human Services; RI Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals; RI Department of Health; and community partners developed a Tik Tok Social Campaign to address the dangerous challenges that youth are being encouraged to participate.

This document outlines best practices and resources for working with youth, as well as guidance around obtaining and reviewing background checks from the RI Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI).

Locking up your medications can help save lives. To get your FREE medication lock bag please fill in the information below and one will be sent to you free of charge. Thanks for keeping your family and our communities safe!

This infographic highlights the many evidence-based campaigns and successes that have been implemented and achieved by PFS providers from 2021-2022.

Rhode Island Student Assistance through their Project SUCCESS initiative developed this infographic using results from the Rhode Island Student Survey.

Youth Driven is a traffic safety and leadership program that is led by the Rhode Island Student Assistance Services (RISAS) and supported by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), Office On Highway Safety. Youth Driven is a year round RI high school program and it begins with an educational summer summit. Every high school that attends the summit creates an action plan for the upcoming school year, focused around traffic safety. 

Like a physical health crisis, a behavioral health crisis can be devastating for individuals, families, and communities. A Behavioral Health Crisis Plan is intended to help families of those living with a behavioral health condition to effectively manage a crisis. It is difficult to predict if or when that will happen, however having a plan will quickly provide the needed information. Everyone does their best during difficult times; having a plan with pertinent information in one place will make it less complicated when a situation becomes overwhelming. Take a moment to fill out the plan (provided in English, Spanish, and Portuguese) and keep copies in several places, such as on a phone, in the car, and in a wallet.

It’s too easy for your child or teen to access drugs left on kitchen or bathroom counters and medicine cabinets. To learn more about how to safely store medications, check out the work that Region 7 and the RI Regional Prevention Coalitions are doing through the Over-the-Counter Does Not Mean On-the-Counter campaign to remind parents and caregivers to always securely store ALL painkillers and other common drugs.

The Rhode Island Regional Coalitions have partnered with JSI to establish a Social Host Law Campaign through the Partnerships for Success grant provided by BHDDH. The campaign aims to educate and inform Rhode Island residents about the Social Host Law, which states it is illegal to buy, provide, supply alcohol, or provide a place to consume alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. The campaign also raises awareness of the health and social consequences of underage drinking, including impacting brain development and decision making skills.