Spring 2024 REGISTRATION IS OPEN: Raising preteens and teens is tough. Wouldn’t it be great if adults could take a class that taught us how to help our kids avoid risky behaviors, all while learning how to say NO to drugs and alcohol? There is! Guiding Good Choices® is an evidence-based, interactive prevention program that…
How it all began: In 1995, a group of dedicated staff members from a local high school came together to address the challenges of youth drug and alcohol use in their community. This initial effort quickly expanded to encompass multiple schools. By 2004, recognizing the growing demands, the nonprofit organization HC DrugFree was established to comprehensively…
The Maryland Department of Health’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) team recently convened a multiagency workgroup to assess the presence of xylazine in Maryland. The Xylazine in Maryland Workgroup (now the Emerging Drug Trends Workgroup) has released a report of their findings, which includes an examination of post-mortem toxicology data and drug-checking data from Maryland’s Rapid Analysis of…
In November 2023, HC DrugFree Executive Director Joan Webb Scornaienchi completed the Standards for Excellence Institute® Licensed Consultants Training Program allowing her to provide training, consulting, and support on the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. Ms. Scornaienchi has the expertise and ability to guide a nonprofit in governance…
November 2023 – SAMHSA has released the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health results, accompanied by a newly offered companion infographic. The 2022 sample size was 71,369 and used multi-mode collection methods in gathering the self-reported data from respondents. Some findings include the following results: • Among the 137.4 million (or 48.7%) current alcohol users aged…
More information about future Life Skills and other classes and events will be shared in our newsletter. FREE and back by popular demand!!! Life Skills Training for Grades 6-9 (or slightly younger or older) The 8 FREE online sessions will be offered January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13, 20, 27, and March 5, 2024 from…
HC DrugFree is proud to partner with the DEA and the Howard County Police Department for our twice a year medication and sharps collection event. On October 28, 2023 we collected 1,223.5 lbs. of medication at the HC DrugFree site in the Wilde Lake Village Center. Below is an excerpt of the press release from…
HC DrugFree collected more than half a ton of medication and sharps on Saturday. The organization that aims to give Howard Country residents resources to prevent, treat, and recover from substance use and behavioral health disorders, collected 43 bins of medication and 24 bins of sharps over four hours at its collection event on Saturday.…
The Howard County Police Department announced that 1,278 pounds of unwanted medication and sharps were collected during #DrugTakeBackDay. The collection took place at the Wilde Lake Village Center and various drop boxes throughout the county. In collaboration with HC DrugFree and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the police hosted the event as part of a…
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 38,000 Americans are diagnosed with HIV every year. Moreover, one in ten of the new infections are among users who inject drugs. Did you know that Howard County is next to 3 counties of only 48 in the entire United States responsible for more…
