MOUNT GILEAD — Some new faces were at the table. But the mission remained the same for DAAP of Morrow County at the first full coalition meeting in more than a year on July 28.
Megan Rockas, Drug & Alcohol Awareness & Prevention coordinator, took over that position in March.
“Since Covid restrictions have lifted and I came on board, we have been trying to get with the schools and start up the programs that were a lot of hands-on and face-to-face,” she said.
Rockas is a retired Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper and was an Intake Case Investigator for Morrow County Children Services prior to becoming the DAAP coordinator.
“We are getting the committees back in order and fashioning what schools will be able to do. We are anxious to get into the community and spread the message of DAAP.”
New officers will be chosen in the coming weeks to work with the committee members to oversee the programs.
Some of those include Hidden In Plain Sight (HIPS) and Parents Who Lost Lose The Most.
HIPS brings awareness to parents/guardians in an interactive exhibit of a teenager’s bedroom, that helps identify signs of risky behaviors. The goal is to inform adults about how to have a conversation, not a confrontation, with teens regarding substance abuse, as well as provide local resources for assistance.
HIPS meetings with two Morrow County schools were held this week with presenters talking with parents.
In other business:
• Discussion focused on the possibility of securing home drug screens for parents and how to fund that program.
• The Drug Take Back in April resulted in 250 pounds of unused or expired medications being turned in. The next one is Saturday, Oct. 23 at Discount Drug Mart from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• The next meeting is Thursday, Sept. 30 at noon at 950 Meadow Drive.
• The coalition’s goal is to bring drug and alcohol awareness to the Morrow County Community through educational programs, speakers and organized events.
• For information on DAAP contact Rockas at [email protected].
