Prevention Coalition Wins Excellence Award

United for Prevention in Passaic County, a coalition hosted by William Paterson that seeks to reduce both underage drinking and the misuse and abuse of prescription medications, received the 2015 TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures) Award of Excellence from Health Communications, Inc.

“Conducting TIPS training within the community and at the university and college level is an excellent preventative environmental strategy that best meets our goal to reduce underage drinking,” says Sherrine Schuldt, prevention specialist at United for Prevention in Passaic County. The coalition has provided TIPS training for peer advocates at William Paterson and peer educators at Passaic County Community College, who in turn can conduct training sessions with their peers on campus. Coalition members and Municipal Alliance Coordinators have also been trained as commercial certified TIPS trainers and are able to assist the coalition with training as many establishments in the county as possible. The coalition has sponsored 45 certified TIPS trainers who have trained almost 400 university and college students, 29 participants from four local bars, and 27 liquor store owners.

The coalition, created in 2012 through a grant awarded to the University by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, provides substance abuse prevention resources in Passaic County. Members include schools, law enforcement, religious and fraternal organizations, youth-serving organizations, healthcare professionals, government officials, substance abuse prevention agencies, parents, businesses, youth, and other civic volunteers.