Save SMART Funding Script

Contact info for Senator Lee

Senator Lee is on the Judiciary Committee who is responsible for reauthorizing the program: (202) 224-5444. Ask for Bryson Bachman in Senator Lee’s office. Ask if his boss would pass the DFC Reauthorization? Below are some talking points and an email to send to: Bryson_bachman@lee.senate.gov.

For Senator Hatch's office contact: Angela Sheldon 202-224-5251. angela_sheldon@hatch.senate.gov

Talking Points for Phone Call:

• Senators Grassley and Leahy recently introduced S. 2159, a bill to extend the authorization for the Drug Free Communities Program
• This program has historically had bipartisan support, and I hope your boss will consider signing on as a co-sponsor and work to ensure its swift mark up and passage
• The DFC program has made a real difference in my community, and in communities throughout the country. For example SMART Utah County, our drug prevention coalition in Utah County, has helped reduce prescription drug rates among high school youth and helped reduce the number of prescription drug overdose deaths in our community. With out his grant these efforts would not be possible.
• The national independent evaluation of the program found that those communities that have DFC grants have reduced youth drug use rates to levels lower than the national average
• The DFC reauthorization recognizes that we are in a very tight fiscal environment, and actually REDUCES the authorized amount by $29 million (from the FY 2012 authorized level of $129 million), nearly down to the FY 2007 authorized level of $99 million
• Please consider co-signing this bill and work to ensure the swift passage of the DFC Reauthorization

Follow-up Draft Email

Hi ___,

I’m writing to follow up on our conversation (or voicemail I left you earlier). I just wanted to reiterate that the Drug Free Communities (DFC) program has made a real difference in my community, and I hope that your boss will consider signing on as a co-sponsor and work to ensure the swift mark up and passage of the DFC Reauthorization (S.2159).

The national independent evaluation of the DFC program found that those communities that have DFC grants have reduced drug use rates to levels lower than the national average. In my community, we have also achieved great outcomes. For example:

• Teen prescription drug abuse dropped each year between 2007 and 2011
• SMART has trained over 270 pain pill prescribers to better prescribe and collected over 450,000 abuseable prescription pills (pills destroyed) through prescription drug take back events - pill otherwise available in medicine cabinets for abuse.

As I mentioned when we spoke, the reauthorization recognizes the fact that we are in a very tight fiscal environment, and actually reduces the authorized amount for the program by $29 million (from the FY 2012 authorized level of $129 million) down to nearly the FY 2007 authorized level of $99 million. The DFC program has historically had bi-partisan support, and I hope that your boss will sign on as a co-sponsor and work to ensure the swift mark up and passage of this critical piece of legislation.

If you need any additional information, or if I can be helpful in any way, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Your name here

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!