Current SCRATCH Coalition

Coordinator Beth Mayers will be

leaving The Southwest Council to

pursue other opportunities. Cory

Gilden has been selected as the

new coordinator.

Said Beth, “While I look forward

to challenges in my new job, I will

miss working with this diverse

group of creative, dedicated

coalition members. I am grateful

that Cory has been chosen as the

new Coalition Coordinator. Cory

is a natural leader and I know that

the momentum our coalition has

been building will continue with

Cory’s guidance.”

“I am so excited to step into my

new role as the SCRATCH

Coalition coordinator!” said Cory.

“It won’t be easy to follow in

Beth’s footsteps, but I am

confident that I can continue to

assist the coalition in its

worthwhile efforts in the region.”

“I have been working in the

prevention field with the

Southwest Council for three

years, serving in both Salem and

Cumberland Counties,” Cory

continued. “I’ve taught in-school

drug and alcohol resistance

programs to kindergarteners

through middle school students

all over Salem and Cumberland

counties.”

“In addition, I’ve been facilitating

the Strengthening Families

Program for families in Cumberland County for the

past year and a half.”

“I’ve enjoyed working closely with school officials

and community organizations and fostering

relationships that will serve the coalition well. I will

continue to work hard to develop new relationships

and initiatives that will make us all proud to say we

are part of SCRATCH!”

“I look forward to working with you all in furthering

the coalition’s goals and bringing about a healthier

and happier South Jersey!”

Welcome to the SCRATCH Coalition, Cory!

Caption describing picture or graph-

ic.

SCRATCH Coalition Leadership Change

SCRATCHING Out Substance Abuse Since 2012

March, 2014

Volume 2

RX Events, May, 2014 2

RX Billboards Installed 3

Sticker Shock Campaign 4

Coalition Central - With a Spotlight on: Alice Hart

4

Inside this issue:

Special points of interest:

Next SCRATCH

meeting: April 9, 2014;

9am.

Next CTG meeting:

April 9, 2014; 10:45am

(immediately following

SCRATCH meeting.)

Pennsville Sticker

Shock Campaign at

Fornaro’s Liquor Store,

April 9, 2014; 3-4 PM.

RX Events:

May 7 full day

conference and May 28

evening workshop.

More information

inside.

New SCRATCH Coalition

Coordinator Cory Gilden

The SCRATCH Post Salem-Cumberland Regional Action Toward Community Health

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Full Day Conference -

CumberlandRxConference.eventbrite.com

Evening Workshop -

Rx2Addiction.eventbrite.com

For more information on either event,

contact Jessica at 856-794-1011 x302

Page 2 The SCRATCH Post Volume 2

SCRATCH Coalition Co-Sponsors 2 Prescription Drug and Heroin Workshops in May

Cumberland County

Rx Drug Abuse and

Heroin Conference

May 7, 2014 Luciano Center

Cumberland County College

Hosted by:

The Cumberland County

Prosecutor’s Office

The Cumberland County Healthy

Communities Coalition

The Salem-Cumberland Regional Action

Toward Community Health Coalition

Sponsored in part by:

Cumberland County Municipal Alliances

(GCADA), Cumberland County College,

Inspira Health Network, The Southwest

Council, Inc.

Locally Designed Prescription Drug Billboards Installed!

Page 3 The SCRATCH Post Volume 2

Designed by Adriana Smith of Penns Grove High School

Designed by the LMTI Club of Pennsville Memorial High School

Through a partnership with the Southwest Council, Inspira Health Network, and the GRASP Coalition, the SCRATCH

Coalition engaged local high school students in a Prescription Drug Billboard Design Contest. The end results are shown

above. Check out the billboards in person: Route 47 in Vineland just north of Garden Road and Route 48 in Penns Grove,

just outside Penns Grove High School. Congratulations to our first place winner Adriana Smith from Penns Grove High

School and our second place winners, students from the LMTI leadership club at Pennsville Memorial High School.

The Salem-Cumberland Regional Action Toward Community

Health (SCRATCH) coalition was founded in 2012 as an

initiative of The Southwest Council. The coalition is funded by

grants from the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and

Addiction Services and the Centers for Disease Control.

SCRATCH Vision: Empowering our communities to create a

new and dynamic norm by changing the social climate and

acceptance of substance use and abuse.

SCRATCH Mission: SCRATCH engages community partners

in Cumberland and Salem Counties to establish and sustain the

environmental changes necessary to eliminate substance use and

abuse. We will consistently develop and promote healthy

opportunities and permanent change for

current and future generations.

SCRATCH is always welcoming new

members. Please contact Coalition

Coordinator Cory Gilden at

856-794-1011 x316, or at

cory@southwestcouncil.org.

The Southwest Council, Inc.

1405 N. Delsea Drive

Vineland, NJ 08360

Check us out on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/ScratchCoalition

with years of grant writing

experience and with a public

health model mindset, both

of which have served her

well as a coalition member.

Alice has represented the

coalition at trainings and

workshops and brought

back what she learned to

share with other members.

One of Alice’s passions is

writing haiku, so we will

“end on a positive note”

with an Alice Hart original:

Solitude should be An unexpected pleasure

And not life itself

Thank you Alice, we appreciate you!

Alice is the only coalition

member left who sat on the

original Underage Drinking

Coalition, established in 2005.

The Coalition was then

absorbed into the SCRATCH

Coalition when it was formed

in 2012, making Alice our

longest-standing member.

Alice brought many skills to

the coalition. For 25 years

Alice served as the Director of

the Vineland Community

Nursing Service.

Prior to that Alice worked

both at the Salem County

Department of Health and

Salem County Memorial

Hospital.

Alice came into the coalition

Coalition Central With a Spotlight on: Alice Hart

Phone: 856-794-1011 x316

Fax: 856-794-1239

E-mail: cory@southwestcouncil.org

Salem-Cumberland Regional

Action Toward Community Health

Alice Hart Alice was part of the original Underage

Drinking Coalition

Sticker Shock Campaign On April 9, 2014, students

from Pennsville Memorial

High School will take part in

a Sticker Shock Campaign at

Fornaro’s Liquor Store at 175

N. Broadway in Pennsville,

NJ from 3-4 PM.

The campaign aims to

educate adults on the

penalties for providing

alcohol to underage drinkers,

thus reducing youth access to

alcohol.

Coalition members and

community members

interested in reducing

underage drinking are

encouraged to come out and

support the students’ efforts.