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[ 1 ] Community and Family Life in the California Alps Summer 2017 Community and Family Life in the California Alps Summer 2017 In this Issue... ALPINE THREADS When you struggle with both a substance use issue and a mental health issue such as depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety, it is called a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis. Dealing with substance abuse, alcoholism, or drug addiction is never easy, and it’s even more difficult when you’re also struggling with mental health issues. However, there is hope. There are things you can do and treatments that can help you get your life back on track. • With support, self-help and treatment, you can overcome a dual diagnosis and reclaim your life. • The high prevalence of Dual Diagnosis Disorders, combined mental health disorders and substance use, has been increasingly documented for both adolescents and adults. Here at Alpine County, Behavioral Health Services (ACBHS) an integrated program for behavioral health is offered. We are here to address mental health as well as substance use issues in adults and youth. ACBHS provides individual therapy and counseling. We have a co-occurring group (6:30pm-7:30pm Thursdays), recovery group (4:30pm-5:30pm Wednesdays) and a women’s support group (1:30pm Wednesdays). • Coming in July 2017, we will offer “A Balanced Perspective”; a group held in the Markleeville Library on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm. This group will address mindfulness in recovery and promote life balance. Beginning 07/11/17. This group will help build coping skills that connect life situations to emotions. It will help identify false beliefs, as well as the consequences of emotional dodging. The group will also help you to make decisions based on core values. • There will also be a Parent Education series offered, which will address how to prevent and recognize drug and alcohol abuse in your children. This series will help parents communicate better during potential and current drug & alcohol abuse situations. 07/11 & 07/18 @ 6 PM at the Firehouse at Hung-A-Lel-Ti. All are welcome! We encourage input from community members on what they feel are key issues in areas of Behavioral Health and we will continue to provide a high level of service to Alpine County. Please contact Janet Stevens, - (LMFT) or Misty Dee, - (LAADC) Main Office: [PHONE REDACTED] I Crisis Line: 1-[PHONE REDACTED] Music in the Park 2 Prepare for Wildfire 2 The Dangers of Menthol- Flavored Tobacco 3 Food Distribution Day 3 TYFS Become a Member 4 Coffee with a Cop 4 18th Annual Markleeville Creek Day 2017 5 Alpine Aspen Festival 2017....5 First 5 Alpine 6 TYFS Summer Groups 2017 7 Camp Sunrise 7 Healthy Eating, in a SNAP!..... 8 What is the link between substance abuse and behavioral health? Masthead photo courtesy of Alpine County photographer Todd Branscombe. ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 2 ] Alpine County Threads ~ Summer 2017 MUSIC IN THE PARK 2017 At Markleeville Park, next to the library. Bring a picnic, blanket, lawnchair and the family! Sponsored by: Sorensens Resort, Alpine County Chamber of Commerce, Intero Real Estate Services, Barbara and Michael Barton, California Alps Coffee Haus, Trailblazer Travel Books, Douglas Disposal and Recycling Services, Amy Skewes-Cox and Robert Twiss, Friends of Hope Valley, Holdridge Family, Donald M. Jardine, Tom and Marilyn Kolpacoff, Rick Meyer, Markleeville General Store Woodfords Inn and Sierra Scoop. (530) 694-2120 These are tobacco free events Saturday, July 29th, 5PM Suspect Terrane Bluegrass, Swing, Americana, fun. Sunday, August 13th, 5PM BEANS SOUSA & SLADE RIVERS Honky Tonk highway. Saturday, August 26th, 5PM Bison Bluegrass Band Free range, organic, locally grown. Saturday, September 9th, 4PM The California Sons Original Americana & Bluegrass. PERFORMANCES ARE FREE, DONATIONS WELCOME Alpine County Public Health is now on Facebook & Twitter Like us and follow us for up to date information and tips about healthy living and emergency preparedness in beautiful Alpine County! Alpine County Health Wellness Coalition Our mission: Building strong community partnerships promoting healthy living through outreach, advocacy and education. BEING READY WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS Being Ready for wildfire starts with maintaining an adequate defensible space and by hardening your home by using fire resistant building materials. Defensible space is the buffer you create by removing dead plants, grass and weeds. This buffer helps to keep the fire away from your home. Hardening your home means using construction materials that can help your home withstand flying embers finding weak spots in the construction, which can result in your house catching fire. It takes the combination of both defensible space and the hardening of your home to really give your house the best chance of surviving a wildfire.* *Excerpt from CAL FIRE website. For more information, go to http://www.readyforwildfire.org ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads ~ Summer 2017 [ 3 ] The dangers of flavored tobacco products have been highlighted in many past issues of Alpine Threads, and residents of our beautiful county understand just how harmful they are. According to the results of the 2016 Alpine County Tobacco Control survey, 90% of respondents are concerned that youth are more likely to try flavored tobacco products. With the huge variety of new flavored tobacco products available today, people may forget the “original” flavor – menthol. Here are just a few things to remember about menthol: • Menthol’s anesthetizing effect makes the smoke “smooth” and easier to inhale while masking the harshness of tobacco, making menthol cigarettes more appealing to young and beginner smokers. • Menthol allows smokers to inhale more deeply and for harmful particles to settle deeper inside the lungs. By reducing airway pain and irritation, continuous menthol smoking can mask the early warning of smoking-induced respiratory problems. • Menthol decreases the metabolism of nicotine and increases the amount of the addictive substance in the blood, making cigarettes even more dangerous and difficult to quit. • In July of 2013, the FDA released a preliminary scientific review that found that menthol made it easier to start smoking and allowed for a faster progression to regular use of cigarette smoking; it also found that menthol made it harder to quit smoking, especially among African American menthol smokers. The FDA solicited public comment on the “potential regulation” of menthol cigarettes. [39] Communities around California have taken bold steps to regulate the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol. Recent flavored tobacco sales bans in San Francisco and Yolo County are particularly strong - including e-cigarettes and menthol and offering no exemptions. Communities like Alpine County can take a stand against products designed to entice youth into a lifetime of addiction. A few options include restricting or banning the sale of flavored tobacco products, capping the number of local tobacco retailers, or regulating minimum pack size or price. For more information, contact the Alpine County Tobacco Control Program at (530) 694-2146. Need free help quitting? Call the California Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-NO-BUTTS. From the California Department of Public Health Menthol and Cigarettes Fact Sheet: 1. Kreslake, J.M., et al., Tobacco industry control of menthol in cigarettes and targeting of adolescents and young adults. American Journal of Public Health, 2008. 98(9): p. 1685. 2. Kreslake, J.M. and V.B. Yerger, Tobacco industry knowledge of the role of menthol in chemosensory perception of tobacco smoke. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2010. 12: p. 98-101. 3. Garten, S. and R.V. Falkner, Continual smoking of mentholated cigarettes may mask the early warning of respiratory disease. Preventive Medicine, 2003. 37(4): p. 291-296. 4. Benowitz, N.L., B. Herrera, and P. Jacob, Mentholated cigarette smoking inhibits nicotine metabolism. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2004. 310(3): p. 1208-1215. 12. Wickham, Focus: Addiction: How Menthol Alters TobaccoSmoking Behavior: A Biological Perspective. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 2015. 88(3): p. 279. 39. Sabrina Tavernise, F.D.A. Closer to Decision About Menthol Cigarettes, in The New York Times. July 23, 2013. 40. FDA Appeals Court Ruling on TPSAC Conflict of Interest, in American The Dangers of Menthol-flavored Tobacco “The most successful people are those who do all year long what they would otherwise do on their summer vacation.” - Mark Twain ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 4 ] Alpine County Threads ~ Summer 2017 tobacco-free as a bird tobacco-free as a bird live play be Alpine County Health Wellness Coalition Live Healthy! Want to Inspire? Become a mentor! Did you know... Only one hour a week can change a child’s life forever! Join our team of mentors. Training, support and group activities are provided. Local youth need you; help put a smile on a child’s face. Current trained mentors can have lunch with their mentees at Diamond Valley School. For more information please call Alpine Mentor Coordinator Betty Hathaway (530) 694-9459 Friday July 21st, 2017 9:00am-11:00am at Mad Dog Cafe 290 Old Pony Express Way, Markleeville, CA 96120 Coffee with a cop is as simple as it sounds. It is a chance to meet your local officers and have a cup of coffee with them. There are no agendas at this event, just an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns and get to know the officers in your neighborhood. Contact Officer Ruth Loehr with questions [EMAIL REDACTED] I (530) 577-1001 ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads ~ Summer 2017 [ 5 ] free admission! free live music! family & dog friendly! The 4th Annual Alpine Aspen Festival will be held on October 7th and 8th in scenic Hope Valley, California. The Alpine Watershed Group and Friends of Hope Valley host the Alpine Aspen Festival to celebrate Alpine County’s beautiful fall colors, natural environment, and dynamic history. Visitors may enjoy live music, guest speakers, and booths at the festival location on Blue Lakes Road, or sign up for one of the many activities and workshops with local experts. Space is limited, so reserve your spot now! The festival welcomes families and is also dog-friendly. Visit our website at www.AspenFest.org for more details and to sign up for an activity. All proceeds from the festival benefit the Alpine Watershed Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and enhance Alpine County’s watersheds for future generations. 18th annual Markleeville Creek Day 2017 Saturday, September 9th 9am-2pm An Alpine County watershed restoration work day Sign up online by august 31st at www.alpinewatershedgroup.org For more information, contact Sarah Muskin: [EMAIL REDACTED] or call [PHONE REDACTED] The Alpine Watershed Group will be hosting the 18th Annual Markleeville Creek Day on Saturday, September 9th, 2017. Volunteers are needed to help complete projects throughout the East and West Carson Watersheds including plantings, stream bank stabilization, invasive weed removal, protective tree wrapping, and storm drain stenciling. All are welcome to attend. No experience is necessary. Participants will gather in the Markleeville Library Park at 9am for registration. Groups then carpool to their restoration project locations. The Alpine Watershed Group is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and enhance Alpine County watersheds. ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 6 ] Alpine County Threads ~ Summer 2017 Kindergarten Readiness School may be out, but for kids starting kindergarten this fall, now is the time to get ready for the classroom, both physically and emotionally. By helping your child master a few practical key skills, you can give your children the confidence they need to succeed on their first day of school – and every day after! Kindergarten readiness includes both practical skills that children will need to succeed, as well as social emotional skills that will help them successfully function in a classroom of peers. And, parents play a key role in preparing them for that first day from establishing a routine and easing their fears to holding a pencil and listening to directions. Helping them develop these skills is the most important job a parent can have. Talk with Me It’s crucial for children to have the confidence and ability to use their words. • Parents can help develop language skills by having frequent conversations with their children and encouraging them to use words to express their feelings and reactions to the world around them. • Read to your child for 20 minutes every day and talk about the story, the characters and what happened first, next and last. • Sing songs and read stories or poems with rhyming words to expose them to different sounds as they build their vocabulary. Your Turn, My Turn Preschoolers are just beginning to understand the concept of sharing. • Parents can make sharing fun by teaching cooperative play, like completing puzzles or building a block tower together. • As you’re building the block tower, walk through the concept of sharing by saying, “Now it’s your turn to add a block and then it will be my turn.” • Use positive reinforcement to encourage sharing. When you see your child sharing with someone else, point out how she made the other person happy and give her a hug. 1,2,3 – Count With Me Children entering Kindergarten can typically count to 10 on the first day of class. • Teach your child to count by using everyday objects like blocks, buttons, soup cans, even your child’s fingers and toes! • Parents can make counting part of your daily routine by asking your child to count the number of plates needed for dinner or the number of steps you’re climbing together. Or, tell your child to pick out “two” books to read before bedtime. My Name is… Children are expected to be able to print their first name. • Start by teaching children how to spell their name when they’re toddlers. Start by pointing out the first letter of their name whenever you see it. You can also play word games by saying, “Your name starts with like tiger. What else starts with that letter? • Your child can practice writing their name with their finger to get the feel of the letters. Try spreading shaving cream or pudding on a cookie sheet for fun practice. • You can also work with your child on the correct pencil grip by encouraging your child to use their thumb and index finger to pick up small objects like O-shaped cereal with their fingers. This will make your child practice the proper pincer grip. • Playing with play dough can also help develop muscles in the hand that are needed for writing or cutting. Listen Well to Learn Better Kids learn best when they’re taught to actively listen when the teacher’s speaking to them. • Improve your child’s listening skills by encouraging them to repeat directions back to you. This will force them to repeat instructions in their mind and then act on them. • Use multi-step directions to build your child’s attention span by outlining multiple tasks for them to do, such as “Pick up your toys first, then grab your coat.” • Try playing games with your child that require listening and following simple directions. Games like Simon Says or Red Light, Green Light are fun games that require listening and following directions. Potential Social Media Posts • Sample Facebook: Kids learn through play. Try these good behavior games with your child to teach listening, sharing and more. http://ow.ly/mgHOO • Sample Facebook: Games like Simon Says and Red Light Green Light, get your kids moving and sharpens their listening skills for Kindergarten. • Sample Tweet: Is your child starting Kindergarten? Don’t lay off the learning now. 10 things to prepare them for their first day. http://ow.ly/mh3aZ • Sample Tweet: Don’t choose between learning and fun. Do both and get your child ready for Kindergarten with outside activities. http://ow.ly/mh3zL John Fisher, Executive Director ~ First 5 Alpine County About First 5 Alpine Research shows that a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the first five years and what parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child’s growth will have a meaningful impact throughout life. ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads ~ Summer 2017 [ 7 ] Camp Sunrise is a FREE grief camp designed for children age 7 – 14 that have experienced the death of a family member. Children receive grief education and support through a variety of fun-filled activities and programs throughout the weekend. The camp begins late Friday afternoon and ends midday on Sunday. To receive a registration form or volunteer application for this year’s camp, please contact Tina Bruess at [PHONE REDACTED] or [EMAIL REDACTED] Camper participation applications must be completed and returned to the Hospice office by Friday, May 22nd at 2092 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Ste. 500, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. Entry to the camp is subject to an interview with a camp counselor. Interviews will be scheduled after receipt of a completed registration form. Residents of the South Lake Tahoe, Minden, Gardnerville, Markleeville and Carson Valley/City areas may apply. Children’s Bereavement Camp September 15th-17th, 2017 Held at the 4H Camp near Stateline, Nevada Spend your summer with Tahoe Youth & Family Services Tahoe Youth & Family Services is creating a safe place for kids to come and have fun over the summer. We will be doing a variety of things like going to the beach, going to the swim center and so much more, while learning life skills like making good decisions, media influences, social skills and resisting peer pressure. Transportation and admission (if needed) will be provided along with a lunch. Summer Groups 2017 Tuesday will be ages 11-16 Wednesday will be ages 8-10 12pm-4pm except on beach days which will be all day ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Threads is brought to you by Alpine County Tobacco Control, a Prop 99 funded program. 75 B Diamond Valley Rd. Markleeville, CA 96120 Phone: (530) 694-2146 Addressing the needs of the Alpine County Community ALPINE THREADS Standard Rate U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 3 Markleeville, CA 96120 POSTAL CUSTOMER [ 8 ] Alpine County Threads ~ Summer 2017 Alpine Threads Editorial Board First 5 Alpine 100 Foothill Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] www.first5alpine.com Alpine County Health and Human Services 75 B Diamond Valley Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] FAX: [PHONE REDACTED] The Learning Center and Local Child Care Planning Council 100 Foothill Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] Disclaimer: This wellness-focused publication is not intended to provide timely news and/or personal, political or discriminatory statements. Alpine ThreadsEditorial Board reviews all content. Website Links l www.alpinecountyca.gov/ calendar l www.first5alpine.com l www.alpinecounty.com l www.alpinewatershedgroup.org l www.alpinebiomasscommittee. wordpress.com ATTENTION LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS & AGENCIES If you’d like to share your website link send it to Gina at [EMAIL REDACTED] and we’ll add it to our column. For more recipes, borrow SNAP-Ed cookbooks from the Library and the Woodfords Indian Education Center. Ingredients n 1 apple (such as Fuji or Pink Lady Washington) n 1 can 12-oz chunk light tuna (drained) n 2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt n 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise n 1/2 cup raisins (or chopped figs) n 1/4 cup chopped walnuts n 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper n 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional) Preparation 1. Cut apple in quarters; remove core and chop. 2. In a medium size bowl, mix all salad ingredients, except tuna. 3. Gently fold in tuna. 4. Make sandwiches, using lettuce and whole-grain bread (toasted, if desired), and fill with tuna apple salad. Healthy Eating, in a SNAP! Tuna Apple Salad Sandwich n 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (optional) n 8 leaves lettuce (Bibb, Romaine, green, or red leaf) n 8 slices whole-grain bread Liven up your lunch-time sandwich with a refreshing mix of tuna, apples, raisins, and walnuts. Makes: 4 servings Cook time: 15 minutes