VSAAC to change name to Alliance for Prevention & Wellness

Community program is part of BHcare

ANSONIA - BHcare’s Greater Valley Substance Abuse Action Council will become the Alliance for Prevention & Wellness on Aug. 1. 

The new mission of the program will be: We foster positive mental health by preventing substance misuse and other health-risk behaviors and by building resources that promote wellness.  

The decision to change the name was decided by a committee made up various community members including Michael Gulish, Chair, BHcare Board of Directors, John Scott, concerned citizen, Nancy Phund, Director, Woodbridge Youth and Family Services, Bill Nimons, Treasurer, BHcare Board of Directors, Jack Walsh, President/CEO Valley United Way, Mark Holden, local business owner and BHcare board member, Carol Cruz, Recovery Community, Veronica Parsloe, Parent Child Resource Center, Joni Nordstrom, Bethany Orange Woodbridge Drug and Alcohol Council and VSAAC staff.

“We felt it was necessary for the program’s name to reflect all that we do,” said Pam Mautte, Director of VSAAC. “VSAAC has a long history of substance abuse prevention activities and continues to expand its programs to address substances of abuse, suicide, risky behaviors and to promote good mental health. Our service area continues to grow throughout the Lower Naugatuck Valley and Greater New Haven. The Alliance for Prevention & Wellness is a direct result of our donors’ and community partners’ commitment to improving our communities,” Mautte said. 

VSAAC was formed in 1990 as a result of a community retreat held by the Valley United Way with concerned citizens to address substance abuse issues in the Valley. 
It operates as one of 13 Regional Action Councils across the State of Connecticut. 

The program has engaged churches, schools, businesses, human service agencies, neighborhood organizations, government offices, law enforcement, and concerned citizens of all ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds in prevention activities. 
The program maintains strong collaborative relationships with area police departments, the local prevention councils, social service agencies, and youth service bureaus and has an extensive repertoire of culturally competent substance abuse/high-risk behavior prevention programs. 

Over the past 25 years, VSAAC helped more than 150,000 youth and adults in our communities.

The Alliance for Wellness and Prevention is a program of BHcare. 

For more information, visit APW-CT.org.

BHcare is a regional community provider of behavioral health, addiction prevention, and domestic violence services for the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Greater New Haven and Shoreline communities.  

For more information, visit www.bhcare.org.


This is a press release from BHcare. 

Opioids 101 presentation slated May 9 at Shelton Intermediate School

This release was provided by the Shelton Police Department.  



Below is a graphic shared from the VSAAC website that demonstrates the impact that opioid abuse has had on our community. 

VSAAC to host youth mental health forum at Ansonia High School

ANSONIA - The Greater Valley Substance Abuse Action council will host a forum entitled “Mental, Emotional, & Behavioral Disorders in Young People" at 6:30 p.m. April 5 at Ansonia High School. 

Guest speaker Dennis Embry, Ph.D., President, PAXIS Institute, will discuss the mental, emotional, and behavioral epidemic that touches one out of two young people by age 18, with lifetime effects for every Connecticut family and community. 

 “For the first time in North America, more children have mental illnesses than physical illnesses...”  Canadian Broadcast Corp., DOC ZONE CBC-TV, July 25, 2014.

Learn how Connecticut can be the first state to launch a public health prevention strategy to protect all children.

For more information, contact VSAAC at 203-736-8566.

This event is funded by Valley United Way and supported by Valley Council for Health and Human Services.

VSAAC, a program of BHcare, is a public/private partnership comprised of community leaders and citizens who develop and carry out strategies to reduce alcohol, tobacco, drug use, suicide, risky behaviors, and promote good mental health among youth and, over time, among adults through community education, community mobilization, public awareness, and advocacy in the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Greater New Haven, and surrounding communities. 

For more information, visit www.VSAAC.com. 

BHcare is a regional community provider of behavioral health, addiction prevention, and domestic violence services for the Shoreline, Greater New Haven, and Lower Naugatuck Valley communities. 

For more information, visit www.bhcare.org.

This is a press release from BHcare.

BHcare program trains Branford first responders in mental health first aid

A total of 102 members of Branford’s Police and Fire Departments recently completed Mental Health First Aid Training, provided by BHcare.  

Participants in the course learned tools and tips to help them better understand mental illnesses and addictions, and how to effectively respond to and deescalate incidents without compromising the safety of those involved.

BHcare is a regional community provider of behavioral health, addiction prevention, and domestic violence services for the Shoreline, Greater New Haven, and Lower Naugatuck Valley communities. 

The objective of Mental Health First Aid training is to expand people’s knowledge of mental illnesses and their treatments, to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, and help people understand and accept mental illness as a medical condition. 

“We are very proud to partner with BHcare for the training to increase our officers’ knowledge base,” said Capt. Geoff Morgan of the Branford Police Department. “Our agency remains committed to treat everyone in our community with the dignity and respect they deserve.” 

“The Mental Health First Aid Public Safety Program is about giving our first responders the tools they need to improve their response to people experiencing mental health crises,” said Pamela Mautte, Director, BHcare’s Greater Valley Substance Abuse Action Council.

The officers and firemen had nothing but positive remarks regarding the course. One said, “I would encourage all first responders to take this course.”  

Another commented, “It was very informational, I can apply this information to my work but also to everyday life.” A third officer remarked, “This was the best training I have had as a police officer.”

To learn more about MHFA training and how it can help you and your business or agency, visit www.VSAAC.com.

VSAAC, a program of BHcare, is a public/private partnership comprised of community leaders and citizens who develop and carry out strategies to reduce alcohol, tobacco, drug use, suicide, risky behaviors, and promote good mental health among youth and, over time, among adults through community education, community mobilization, public awareness, and advocacy in the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Greater New Haven and surrounding communities. 
For more information, visit www.VSAAC.com. 

For more information, about BHcare, visit www.bhcare.org.

This is a press release from BHcare.

5K walk/run for drug awareness slated in Shelton

Health in the spotlight at Ansonia Middle School fair

 Edi May Macri of Milford, owner of Bikram Yoga in Shelton, talks to a parent about the benefits of yoga at a recent holistic health fair held for seventh graders at Ansonia Middle School.

Ansonia Middle School health teacher Lisa Nicolari said the idea behind the fair was to demonstrate to students that ultimately they determine their own well-being. She said she teaches them that the choices they make now will have an effect on their future health.

The event for seventh graders focused on physical, intellectual, social, and emotional health. It also taught stress and time management techniques and problem solving.

Nicolari said unified arts teachers - art, music, health, consumer technology, and physical education - and special education teachers participated in the fair. Parents were invited to the event in an effort to increase their involvement with the school, she said.

Art teacher Ashley Preneta's students created an exhibit that talked about the benefits of art therapy.

Music teacher Matt DeSorbo discussed the use of music therapy and how it can help people with autism, emotional disorders, and physical disabilities lead fuller lives.

Myra Odenwaelder, Director, Rehabilitation Services Department at Griffin Hospital in Derby, spoke about 'backpack strategies' aimed at preventing problems heavy backpacks cause and distributed information from The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. Odenwaelder said the slogan she wants students and parents to remember is "Pack it Light, and Wear it Right." She weighed students' backpacks and said one girl was carrying a "14-pound bag."

The effect of alcohol consumption on the body was the subject of a demonstration by Lorrie McFarland, prevention coordinator, Greater Valley Substance Abuse Action Council, a program of BHcare in Ansonia. She said alcohol consumption leads to poor judgment and loss of coordination.
Students had an opportunity to don "goggles" that simulate feelings of being drunk.

Seventh grader Lizette Herrschaft said when she wore the goggles "it was hard to walk." Classmate Cedreya Lanier said she "got very dizzy" when she tried them out.

Students' posters lead the way to the fair held in the gym.

Kudos to the teachers who organized this community event. There was a lot of good information offered to visitors. 

And a big thank you goes out to Ansonia Middle School Co-Principal Terri Goldson for sending me these photos, since I had a camera "issue" that morning.