A BRIGHT LIGHT TO GUIDE US THROUGH THE TUNNEL

Guest Editorial: Thank you for helping prevent
youth substance abuse in Galveston County.
Written by: Mary Beth Trevino, Coalition Coordinator,
BACODA
As 2017 draws to a close, Galveston County Community
Coalition (GCCC), of the Bay Area Council on Drugs
and Alcohol (BACODA), would like to thank all of you
for a great year. Our mission is to mobilize community
resources in an effort to reduce the harmful impact of
alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in our communities.
This year, because of support we have received from
Galveston County citizens and organizations, we have
achieved several key accomplishments toward that mission.
In March, we brought Dr. Thomas McLellan, co-author
of the Surgeon General’s Report, Facing Addiction, t o
University of Texas Medical Branch. In a reception
before the talk, students presented their latest research
on various addiction topics. Dr. McLellan spoke to a
full auditorium about substance use disorders and the
importance of prevention. We followed with a luncheon
to recognize other partnerships and strategies for prevention
in Galveston County. We are deeply grateful to
Dr. McLellan and UTMB’s Center for Addiction Research
for making this event possible for our community
We were honored to be listed as one of sixteen
Communities in Action in the National Prevention Week
Outcomes publication put out by the federal Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. They
recognized our event with Dr. McLellan and the coalition’s
strategies to prevent opioid misuse.
Special thanks go to the following individuals and
organizations for helping us create a safer environment
for the youth of Galveston County: Special
thanks go to the following organizations for helping
us create a safer environment for the youth of
Galveston County: Mary Moody Northen Endowment,
for providing office space, as well as the following
partnering organizations: University of Texas Medical
Branch, the Center for Addiction Research, Texas
A&M Galveston, Galveston County Mutual Assistance
Partnership, La Marque Police Department, Galveston
Police Department, Santa Fe Police Department, City
of Galveston, City of La Marque, Galveston County
Community Resource Coordination Group, local school
districts, area Chambers of Commerce, and our many
other Coalition members.
We are looking forward to big things in 2018, and we
would love for you to be a part of our efforts. Please
contact Galveston County Community Coalition at
coalitions@bacoda.org or 800-510-3111.