Get to know James Bemel

James writes: I was born in Alaska and raised in Spokane, Washington and Layton, Utah. I've been married for nine years and I have a two-year-old daughter who is the light of my life. I received my Bachelor's degree in Health Promotion from Weber State University, my Masters of Public Health & Health Services Administration from the University of Utah, and my PhD in Health Promotion & Education from the University of Utah. I've worked for the Huntsman Cancer Institute as the Outreach Coordinator, Weber State University as an Instructor, and I currently work for Utah Valley University where I'm an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community and Public Health. I also currently teach adjunct for both the University of Utah and Weber State University. I'm a member of the Health Education Association of Utah (HEAU); Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE); Utah Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (UAHPERD); and I'm the 2011-2012 Executive Chair of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Utah.

I joined SMART because I have an interest in helping to decrease and prevent substance abuse. My primary professional focus is substance abuse, with a special emphasis on tobacco. I'm also very interested in working to prevent alcohol abuse as well as prescription drug abuse since it is the fastest growing area of substance abuse.

So far, I've been very impressed with the SMART meetings I've attended. I like to see people from all different areas coming together to accomplish common goals.

In my free time I enjoy camping, hiking, swimming, and fishing with my wife and daughter. The nice thing about the position I'm in is that I get eight weeks off in the summer to pursue these interests. This year, we've already visited several sites in Utah and plan to visit Bear Lake and Jackson Hole before school begins again.

I think my sense of humor makes me unique. I'm the type of person who will say something I think is funny and then laugh at it, even if no one else is laughing!

Meet Andy Bayless!

Andy grew up in Lindon being the 6th of 7 children. He graduated from BYU with a BS in Microbiology. He is now at the University of Utah in Pharmacy School. Andy became involved with SMART during April’s Take Back Events where he used his pharmaceutical knowledge to help sort pills. He stayed on to increase his understanding of the community perception of medication use. Andy has already been a great asset to our coalition by recruiting other pharmacy students to help out with October’s Take Back Events and by helping create SMART Pharmacy Guidelines.

When Andy isn’t busy with school or work, he spends time with his new bride, or they head to shooting range.

Thank you Andy for your work with SMART!

Thank You Darrell!

SMART would like to recognize and thank Darrell Bingham for his dedicated service to SMART. He has been volunteering with SMART since July 2008, and has consistently served since then. He dedicates time each and every month, outside of coalition meetings, to furthering the mission of SMART. This year he has served as the Alcohol Task Force Chair and has volunteered over 80 hours of his time, totaling $1500 worth of in-kind donation.

Darrell has been key in organizing three Prescription Take Back Events in the city of Lindon where 69.4 pounds of leftover pills have been collected and 405 families have been educated. He’s helped SMART better understand upcoming drug problems like Spice, and he personally helped educate local and state elected officials about the need to prevent abuse of these substances. One of his crowning achievements is proposing the idea, personally testifying before legislators on Capitol Hill, and helping Rep Brad Baw pass legislation requiring ER rooms and the court system to send information to prescribers about the consequences of their patient abusing Rx pain pills.

Darrell has worked as a police office for Lindon City and has always been willing to use his connections to help out SMART. He joined SMART because he wanted to be able to help prevent people from getting trapped in substance abuse addictions.

When Darrell isn’t out saving the world, he enjoys motorcycles, shooting, spending time with his family, attending rock concerts, watching movies and making a fool of himself.

Darrell has enjoyed the past 3 years of serving with SMART, and he cherished the relationships he has developed. He says it has been amazing to see all of the successes that SMART has had and being able to make an impact on people’s lives.

Darrell is a great friend to SMART, we will miss his passion, dedication, and willingness to express his opinion and wish him the very best of his future endeavors!

Thank You!

Thank You Dr. Gary Wiest!

SMART would like to recognize and thank Dr. Gary Wiest this month. He joined SMART in August 2010 as a representative from the Utah Dental Association (UDA). As the secretary of the UDA, Gary has been instrumental in helping SMART develop relationships with the UDA and the Dental Association in Utah County. Since joining SMART, Gary has helped tailor SMART’s interventions to target dentists in the area. He helped review and critique SMART’s physician presentation and made suggestions as to how the presentation could be more applicable to dentists. He has also agreed to be the trainer for our current provider training, and he will be training the Provo Dental Society members in the coming months.

In the past couple of months he has helped the Utah Dental Association organize the printing of 800 posters dentists will receive over the next year outlining principles dentists can follow to prevent prescription drug abuse among their patients. Along with this, he has also written articles and has set the goal to continue to write articles in the UDA’s monthly newsletter about how dentists can prevent Rx abuse.

Gary grew up in Provo, served an LDS mission in Scotland, graduated from BYU, and attended dental school at Washington University in St. Louis. He came back to Provo and has been practicing here for 26 years. He’s married and has 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls), they are all married and he has 4 grandbabies and one on the way in just a few weeks.

Gary enjoys being a dentist and attending dental education seminars. When he isn’t working, he enjoys photography, snow skiing, and biking.

Thank you Gary for being a part of SMART!

Meet our Newest Members

Meet Andrea Jensen--

Andrea Jensen grew up in Pleasant Grove. She is married to her fabulous husband and she has 3 amazing kids. She just graduated with another bachelor's degree (in Public and Community Health) so she can save the world and make it a better place.

She joined SMART because she is trying to fill the shoes of the famous Toni Carpenter from the Division of Environmental Health. She was just hired to take Toni’s position.

Her hobbies and interests include sleeping, traveling, and Interior Design (she received her first bachelor’s degree in Interior Design).
Andrea is unique because she has a twin sister (and no, they don't look anything alike and they didn't date each other's boyfriends or attend each other's classes in high school).

Andrea is passionate about asthma as her and her three children all have asthma. She was happy being an Interior Designer and Mom, but decided to go back to school (again) to get a degree in Public Health so she can help other families. She created and maintain a blog as part of her job, entitled "My Life as An Asthma Mom." Her business card reads "Written by a mom with asthma. Caring for her 3 kids who have asthma and offering advice on how to avoid the pitfalls" http://www.asthmamomlife.blogspot.com/

In addition to asthma, she has been on the board of Safe Kids Utah County for 2 1/2 years, is a member of the Tobacco Speakers Bureau and seems to volunteer for anything else that comes along, including planning this year's Utah Public Health Association (UPHA) annual conference. She is learning to say "no."




Meet Ruthann Jarvis--

Ruthann Jarvis grew up in Spanish Fork. Utah and has 3 living siblings (2 brothers and 1 sister). Two siblings live in Spanish Fork and one in California. She has a Masters of Nursing with an emphasis in Education. She has worked as a Registered Nurse in Surgery, ER, Med/Surg; and for the last 13 years she has been the Education Director at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah.

When asked why she joined SMART, Ruthann responded, “I think as a healthcare Provider we need to be aware and educated on the use and abuse of the medication we are giving our patients. Patients should be involved in their care and know what is being given to them and for what reason, both the expected effect and the side effects. Medication and especially narcotics in healthcare are both used wisely and abused. We as a hospital need to be able to educate ourselves and then our patients and the community about both the wise use of medication and the abuses.”

Ruthann’s hobbies and interests are her grandchildren. She also loves to read, travel and see different things. One thing that makes Ruthann unique is her continual quest for knowledge. She still loves learning new things.

Thank You Marcee!

SMART would like to recognize and thank Marcee Young this month. She joined SMART as a representative of United Way of Utah County. “United way has shifted their focus to promoting health in the community and since substance abuse is definitely one of the biggest issues, they were excited to get involved,” said Marcee.

Marcee has helped SMART by working to improve the substance abuse treatment information available for residents who use United Way’s 211. Marcee has also help with physician education by directly inviting providers of pain pills in our community to participate in SMART’s trainings; she has also volunteered at and helped promote SMART’s prescription drug take back events, and provided SMART consultation on fundraising best practices.

Since Marcee joined SMART, she has learned so much about addiction and substance abuse, and has made it a personal passion to help educate families about prevention. Her passion is evident as she was elected chair of the Community Outreach and Public Relations work group.

As chair, Marcee has assisted with and approved SMART’s press releases, works with paid staff to approve the meeting agenda, and is an excellent leader that helps her committee move forward and fulfill assignments. Marcee is always willing to take assignment and to give of her time to help SMART.

In her free time, Marcee loves long distance running and she completed her first marathon back in September. She loves the outdoors and being active. Another passion is learning and experiencing different cultures, both in the US and abroad. Her favorite experience so far was living in Ghana for four months and getting to know the amazing people and their way of life.
Marcee is a dedicated member of SMART and we greatly appreciate her service.

Thank You Dean!

We would like to recognize and thank Dean Barley for his service to SMART. Dean joined SMART in May, 2009 and has attended 80% of SMART’s meeting. Dean is a dedicated member and was a key player in organizing this wonderful retreat, Dean volunteered his services once he learned we’d be having this retreat.

Dean’s career at the BYU Comprehensive Clinic and his love of networking allows him to be like a hub in the middle of a wagon wheel with each organization representing a spoke. Dean consistently matches people and organizations with similar interests to SMART. Dean’s relationship with other organizations gives him a unique position in our coalition as he has recruited several members to SMART and helped SMART gain exposure in the community.

Not only is he involved in SMART but he participates in several other organizations like the Partners for Infants and Children, Wasatch Mental Health Advisory Board, United Way Community Investment Council, Advisement Board of LDS Family Services, and Intermountain Healthcare Provo Community Outreach Council.

Dean joined SMART to make a difference in the community and to connect with people who are the gate keepers for mental health services. Dean organizes the Mental Health Services Awareness night; this impressive event brings together hundreds of Utah County residents representing agencies, non-profits, religious congregations, and government. One of the purposes of the event is to make “gatekeepers” aware of resources they can refer their clients/congregation members to.

Dean grew up in Virginia, and received a Bachelors in Psychology from BYU, a Masters in Social Work from the University of Utah, and a Doctorate from BYU in Counseling Psychology. His interests include positive psychology which involves promoting mental health and increasing positive emotions and experiences which will prevent mental health disease. He is also a family man and has always been involved in his kids’ activities like sports, scouts, or performing. One of Dean’s unique characteristics is that he loves attending productive meetings where decisions are made. This love has helped keep our SMART meetings moving forward. Thank you Dean for organizing this retreat and consistently participating in SMART’s activities!

Meet Jay Lessley

Jay Lessley—I am not originally from Utah. I lived in the Billings, Montana area until I was 13. In 1986, my family and I moved to Mesa, Arizona where I graduated from Westwood High School, home of the Warriors. After graduating from high school, waiting and working about seven months, I came to Provo where I attended BYU for one semester before serving an LDS mission in Georgia and South Carolina. I returned from my church service in 1994 and once again attended BYU.

Within a few months of returning home, I met my wife Heather and we were married in May of 1995. The two of us continued to work and attend BYU for the next few years. Heather completed her degree before we had our daughter Samara in October of 1999. I continued to work full-time while attending BYU part-time.

In July 2000 I started my career in law enforcement as a police officer at Brigham Young University. I stayed with the BYU Police Department until June 2004 when I took a position as a deputy with the Utah County Sheriff's Office. I have served with the Sheriff's Office for the past six years, completing assignments in the Patrol Division. I am currently assigned as a negotiator, pilot, emergency vehicle operations instructor, standardized field sobriety instructor, and drug recognition expert instructor.

I completed my formal education while working at BYU, finishing my undergraduate work in psychology in April 2001 and then my graduate work in public administration in April 2004.

I came to SMART at the invitation of Lt. Perschon who believed I might find SMART’s activities helpful in my regular duties. After my first meeting last fall, I really enjoyed the different perspectives being offered and the many contributions SMART’s members were putting forth with the hopes of reducing substance abuse within Utah County. Readily apparent to me was that SMART had collected a group of dedicated people who were passionate and willing to move forward with innovative ideas to combat drug abuse. Having recognized the great cause SMART and its members represented, I wanted to become part of it and here I am.

Outside of family and law enforcement, my greatest interest is aviation. I am a certified flight instructor and teach regular at a flight school in Spanish Fork. Outside of aviation, I like spending time with my two favorite girls, completing do-it-yourself projects around our home, woodworking, and education.

I may be the only police officer in Utah County that has had the wonderful opportunity to perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. While completing my undergraduate work, I sang with the BYU Men’s Chorus under the direction of Mack Wilberg. During my tenure with the choir, we performed at many venues but the most memorable for me were the two times we sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for Music and the Spoken Word at Temple Square.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with other members of SMART. This is a truly remarkable group of people who bring with them their desire to make a significant difference in our community. Society little recognizes, I believe, the massive impact substance abuse has on our community and country. As such, I am pleased to offer my limited talents and commitment to help Utah County in reducing substance abuse in any way possible.

Meet Kenny Rose

Kenny Rose—Born and raised in Pleasant Grove. I moved to Lehi just prior to getting married in 1998. I have 4 children, ages 11, 9, 4, and 2. I will be graduating from UVU in April with a Bachelor’s in Emergency Services Management and plan on continuing my education with a Masters in Public Administration. I have been with Lehi PD since 1999 and worked for the Utah Department of Corrections for 2 years prior to coming to Lehi PD. I have worked on a lot of different types of cases, including time with the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force as well the Sex Crimes Task Force. I am currently assigned to the Patrol Division as a Patrol Sergeant. I joined SMART because of our involvement in it prior to my involvement. I had been pushing for things such as the Prescription Drop-Off Box prior to even knowing that SMART was involved in the same goals. I have had some personal experiences in my life that lend to my interest in seeing SMART be successful in that I have had a close family member pass away due to a narcotic overdose. I thoroughly enjoy camping with my family as much as my schedule will allow. I enjoy hunting and fly-fishing and all sports. I love the Utah Jazz and am a loyal Chicago Cubs and Dallas Cowboys fan. While I do miss a good number of meetings due to patrol schedule conflicts it certainly isn’t because of disinterest in the mission of the organization. I do want SMART to continue to reach out to the community and I want to be a part of that in whatever way that I can and am able to.

Meet Spencer Cannon

Spencer Cannon— I grew up an Army brat, born in ElPaso, Texas, and lived there, Okinawa, and Germany. After that I grew up in Draper then served 4 years in the Army and lived most of that time in Germany. I have 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls. I also have 1 grandson and 1 granddaughter with an unknown on the way. I have been married for 29 years (as of May 1st). I live in American Fork and have been there for almost 20 years.

I graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. I have worked at the Sheriff's Office for 20 1/2 years. I started in the jail, worked in patrol, as a detective, in Emergency Services, and for the past 6 + years as a supervisor in patrol.

I love traveling and eating exotic foods (I'll try almost anything once). From Borscht in Moscow, to Escargot in Paris, to Blutwurst (Blood sausage) in Germany, and Rocky Mountain Oysters in Wyoming, there is not much I would not be willing to try.

The two favorite vacation spots for my family are Lake Powell any time of the year and a beach house on the Gulf of Mexico along the Alabama coast.

I am part of SMART because I am passionate about helping people get a new start. Those I help do not always see it that way but my hope is that at least a few of them will make a positive change in their life because of my interaction with them.

What makes me unique is that I have strongly held philosophies about why I do the work I do. It is not just about a pay check. I hope to make a difference, from issuing citations for the smallest traffic violation to arrests for serious crimes. I believe that when I become involved in someone's life they have demonstrated an inability to exercise sound judgment and make good decisions. I am there to give them one more opportunity to turn things around.

Former drug addict shares his story in hopes others will avoid it

PROVO, Utah—Imagine being held under water and not being able to breathe. Now imagine feeling like this on a day-to-day basis. This is a feeling similar to what many drug addicts experience when they have not had their drugs.

Rock, Springville, is one of many individuals who dealt with prescription drug addiction. Rock first got addicted prescription drugs in high school and eventually overdosed in December 2003. Fortunately he survived, but the recovery process was long and strenuous.

After years of recovery, Rock now shares his story in hopes that it will discourage people from getting involved with prescription drugs and will educate individuals and families already struggling.

“I’m hoping this has something to do with why I was spared. That I’m able to make people aware of what’s going on, what’s really going on,” said Rock.

Rock works with SMART Utah to help educate parents and students about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. He has spoken to youth groups, and he emphasizes the importance of communication in the home. Children with parents who communicate with them are less likely to get involved in drugs. Rock also gave advice for those who have friends who struggle.
“Don’t be sacred to ask what’s going on,” said Rock. “If you know something’s going on, don’t be afraid: Bring it up. Be there for them. Support them…the best thing is to not shut the door on the whole thing.”

Another issue surrounding prescription drug abuse is the doctors who write out the prescriptions. Rock explained that many doctors just prescribe the pills without thinking twice about it. Doctors have a lot of power that kids know how to abuse in order to get drugs.

“I played the system,” said Rock. “We need to take the power away from those guys (the doctors), monitor it better.”

Rock wants to help people understand that prescription drug abuse leaves no room for apathy. People need to be actively fighting against it and be careful. Not everyone can be as fortunate as he was.

“I’m hoping I’m putting the fear in people who have never had a problem to just not do it,” said Rock. “Just don’t do drugs. It’s not worth it.”

Prescription drug abuse: ‘Most people don’t get a second chance.’

PROVO, Utah—For Rock Simmonds, Springville, prescription drug abuse started with a snowmobiling accident that led to surgery on his shoulder and a narcotic prescription. The “buzz” he could get from prescribed narcotics eventually became a “buzz” he could almost not bear to live without. It almost took his life.

Prescription drug abuse is something Rock and most of his family deal with, and they are not alone. It is becoming more prevalent in Utah County and the surrounding areas. Rock’s story is unique, and he hopes it will discourage others from getting involved in prescription drug abuse.

In high school Rock’s construction job took a toll on his body. When he was really sore, he would call someone to see if they could get him something to ease the pain. He continued to do this and eventually got introduced to oxycontin—a narcotic pain killer.

“It was just a tiny white pill, but it was six or seven times the buzz. I got my hands on those anytime I could,” said Rock.

Rock eventually found a doctor who prescribed oxycontins. He would fill his prescription, use it and then refill and begin again. One night a friend invited him to get high. He had just filled his prescription and was ready to go. This night would be one Rock would never forget.

Rock’s last memory of that night before he woke up in the hospital a couple weeks later was of him popping a few more pills. Those pills led to an overdose which put Rock in a two-week coma followed by six months of re-learning even the basic functions of walking, talking and reading.

Rock was lucky to be alive. The long and frustrating therapy process led to his eventual recovery, marriage and two children.

However, “I wouldn’t recommend that for anybody, at all, ever,” said Rock. “It’s not worth it. Most people don’t get a second chance like I did, so don’t put yourself in that place that you have to get a second chance.”

Utah native brings light to substance abuse

Even with deaths in the family from prescription drug abuse, Heather Ellison’s family still struggles daily to cope with this addiction problem. Secrecy penetrated the family and communication was stopped. This is why Heather is trying to bring light to Utah families suffering with the same problems and make the health system less enabling for substance abuse.

“I want doctors to, instead of just going straight to a narcotic… to try some therapy or some higher dose ibuprofen first,” said Heather.

Heather explains that drug users know the symptoms to say to get the pills. The addicts memorize the symptoms and the doctors, doing their job, try to alleviate their patients’ symptoms. No system is in place to track how much of a prescription is being given to an individual hopping from doctor to doctor and pharmacy to pharmacy.

It is easy for someone to get narcotics in Utah County. It is even easier for them to get addicted. Once a family is aware of the issue, it is too often kept in the dark. Parents, like in Heather’s case, wanted the issue to work itself out and thought just love would solve everything.

“We just want to get information out to families on how to teach them to not enable those who are influenced,” said Heather.

Families want harmony. Because of this, sometimes they ignore that things are going on just to maintain that peace. This is not the answer though. Heather is starting “Turn the Lights On” to promote families bringing this issue out of the dark and into the light. She works with SMART Utah County to raise awareness about this increasingly prevalent issue.
“Do not leave it to fate because it will take your child away,” said Heather.

Utah Family Torn Apart by Substance Abuse

Heather Ellison happily married her husband, started her own family and became part of a new family. She never imagined she would have to explain to her little children that their uncles died from prescription drug abuse.

For the past ten years, Heather Ellison watched from the outside as her husband’s family struggled with the battles of substance abuse. Three members lost the battle with prescription drug abuse in this short amount of time. She has witnessed the devastating proceedings throughout her family’s journey.

“In my situation, they (the family) don’t want to deal with it; they want fate to work it out; they want time to work it out,” said Heather, “They think just loving them is going to work it out.”

Heather’s brother-in-law started using painkillers after he had an accident. The pills then migrated to his siblings, cousins, spouses, friends and so on until a web of drug abuse was spun.

Secrecy and down-playing permeated the family as the substance abuse continued and escalated. The situation was taboo to talk about. Once, Heather went to stop her brother-in-law from driving while high with his little daughter in the backseat when her in-laws said not to interfere because it was not her business. Even with the loss of the one’s husband and the loss of their brother, two of the sister-in-laws are still addicted and Heather finds it difficult to be heard.

“They love their daughters but they don’t know how to love them to help them,” said Heather.

Dealing with the effects of prescription drug abuse has been a struggle for the whole family. Heather’s story is just one of the hundreds of families in Utah County alone affected by the growing influence of substance abuse.
“We’ve had a whole family…just completely destroyed,” said an emotional Heather.

March - SMART Recognized Efforts of Seanna Williams

We would like to recognize and thank Seanna Williams for her service to SMART. Seanna has always been an active member of SMART from the beginning. She has a high attendance rate – she has attended over 80% of SMART meetings over the past 3 years – and gladly accepts assignments. She has helped out with our Take Back events and is always excited to be in a situation where she can talk with people and educate them about substance abuse prevention and treatment.

Seanna is powerful advocate for substance abuse. She has gained the support of community businesses to help support events for people in recovery, and she has created an online group whose focus is to protect funding for substance abuse. During the legislative session you can find her convincing her legislators to save funding for substance abuse treatment and organizing rallies at the capitol. At the Drug Prevention Summit and at a recent rally on Capitol Hill, she shared her passionate story of her own recovery and her strong belief in the need for treatment and prevention.

Seanna currently works for Utah County Substance Abuse as the Foothill Outpatient Program Manager and Clinical Therapist. She joined SMART because she is tired of having clients die. She is tired of reading about overdose deaths and she is tired of the never ending stream of people just coming in the door. She would love to be out of a job in the next 5-10 years!

When Seanna is not out saving the world, she likes to relax by reading a good book, such as the Hunger Games Trilogy which she recently finished and highly recommends. Her guilty pleasure is the Twilight books and movies, but it remains a mystery whether she is Team Edward or Team Jacob.

Kari Matheson's Notes from the CADCA Training

February 2011 CADCA conference:

Information/Resources:

• National Guard Counter Drug Program
• Faceproject.org
• Talksooner.org
• April 21-Power of Talk 21-National talk to your kids about alcohol
• Focus on ‘outcome’ over ‘processes. Create environments to make healthier choices
• Difficult to change populations: college and military
• Online alcohol education for courts-www.3rdmilclassrooms.com
• Alcohol outlet density, privatization and zoning restrictions
• Power of Parents.org-MADD, family skills training DVD, piloting in Utah.
• Madd.org/powerofparents. Go where Parents are to implement program (schools, work) Using social media-leave audience with an action step. One message
• Nickelodeon’s parent site(nick.com) , Facebook site, Parentsconnect.com
• High School Campaigns targeting underage drinking around prom. Postcards to parents, law enforcement, peer-based campaign.
• Use social media to involve youth in campaigns-photovoice, Youtube, etc)

Ideas to possibly implement:

• Partnering with the National Guard Counter Drug Program
• Involving youth in educational campaigns—video contests, photo voice, poster contests.
• Implement them in high schools. Underage drinking campaigns around prom, etc.
• Partner with MADD’s Power of Parents campaign.

Dr. Steven Nelson's Notes on the CADCA Training

Notes from CADCA conference National Harbor, MD 7-10 Feb 2011

IDEAS FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

1. Which chronic pain patients need to have their contracts posted on CSD? Will discuss with Lynn Webster, Jim Cloyd.
2. JCAOH pain policy change in ERs needs to be explored. This matter addressed with Ron Rowe, legislative assistant to Sen. Orrin Hatch. (email Jack Klein, Kevin Sabet re: JCAOH pain policy.)
3. SBIRT questions need to be incorporated into American Board of Family Practice recertification exams.
4. DMV role in addressing drugged driving. 1 of 3 dead drivers had drugs in their systems. How can we establish a quantifiable threshold of impairment for drugged driving?

Megan McConnell, staffer to Rep Rogers, House Appropriations Committee, champion of Rx drug abuse prevention measures

Internet resource sites:

• utahcountyonline.gov sheriff's office, utahcourts.com
• niaaa.nih.gov NIAAA Rethinking Drinking, videos on college and underage drinking.
• Frances Harding has program to invite parents of students to educate their children about underage drinking: store.samhsa.gov/home
• www.talkaboutrx.org/index.jsp
• abovetheinfluence.org
• whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
• CADCA "Not Worth the Risk" (even if it's legal)

Thank You Wayne!

We would like to recognize and thank Wayne Francom for his service to SMART and the community. Wayne has been with SMART from the beginning as a representative of the religious community. He currently serves as a Stake President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and is always willing to contact the LDS area authorities to promote SMART. Some of his accomplishments include writing a letter last year to Elder Snow of the Quorum of the Seventy asking for all Stake Presidents to support Clean Out the Cabinet month, connecting SMART with LDS Family Services, promoting Take Back Events, recruiting new members, contacting doctors to invite them to our physician trainings, and always being an active participant in SMART coalition meetings.

Wayne is a Utah Native, growing up in Springville and attending BYU. He served in the US Navy for 3 years during the Vietnam War. He currently works in the floor covering business, and is married with 5 kids and 12 grandchildren. Growing up he was active in sports, especially baseball. Now his free time is spent on the golf course. Something unique about Wayne is that he survived being struck by lightning (and if anyone wants details they can ask him personally).

Wayne is dedicated to helping members of the community and serving those in need. He works with members of his church that are having difficulty with prescription drug abuse and he reaches out to help them better understand addiction. He does whatever he can as an LDS Stake President to promote substance abuse prevention to thousands of members of his church in Utah County. Thank you Wayne for your service and dedication!