Mercer Council News

The 2018-2019 school year has concluded, and the Protecting You, Protecting Me (PYPM) alcohol use prevention program for grades K-5 was delivered to students at Washington Elementary School in Trenton, NJ. Over 300 students participated in PYPM, and all grades K-5 were reached! Thank you to all the staff and students who welcomed me into their school to provide this beneficial program! When asked ...

Please see the below message from Governor Phil Murphy. This is an amazing chance to take advantage of an opportunity to be equipped with this critical life saving medication!  For more information Click here .

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held one day during the last week in August each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury as a result of drug overdose.  Knowing the real facts about drugs and what to do ...

Wow, Mercer Council has been truly blessed.  We have been chosen by Stop & Shop store leadership as the benefiting non-profit in the Community Bag Program for  June .   You can help  Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction will receive a $1 donation every time a $2.50 Community Bag is sold during the month of June at the Shop & Shop...

Mercer Council was visited on May 14th, by 3 individuals from the State of New Jersey, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, who are involved at the state level in the Opioid Overdose Recovery Program (OORP).  DMHAS representatives at Mercer Council's monthly OORP meeting, sung their praise for Mercer Council's OORP program, indicating in 2018, Mercer Council successfully linked 4...

    Mercer Council and The Prevention Coalition of Mercer County are pleased to announce their 6th Annual Excellence in Prevention Awards breakfast to be held on Wednesday, June 12th.  This annual event honors those individuals, agencies, associations and companies from around the county that have made significant contributions over the past year to ensure the health, safety and wel...

  Thousands of the cannabis products line store shelves, but determining what’s safe is up to you.  What factors should you consider when purchasing these products to ensure safety?  What do you need to know about CBD and in what form should it be used?  Is it important to know where it was grown and how much THC it contains?  Find out the answers to these questions and mo...

When we know better we do better.  For example, did you know that teens who use alcohol before age 15 are  SIX TIMES  more likely to become alcohol dependent than those that begin drinking at age 21?  We also now know that the brain is still developing until age 24-25 and can be damaged by just a few episodes of binge drinking.  Some parents today still think it's oka...

On April 17th, over sixty people attended a public forum at Rider University on marijuana.  As the New Jersey legislature considers a bill to legalize the commercial use of marijuana, this forum highlighted  the expertise of three individuals:  Dr. William Kernan, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Public Health at William Paterson University and Research Director for Un...

On March 25, NJ Senate passed the bill  S2179  that a llows gross income tax deduction for charitable contributions to certain New Jersey-based charitable organizations.  The deduction allowed by the bill mirrors the federal income tax deduction for charitable contributions and is allowed regardless of whether the federal itemized deduction is taken by the taxpayer.  ...

On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local Police Departments and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 17th opportunity in nine years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to any police department in Mercer County or the Mercer County Sheri...

Most people who know of Mercer Council only know part of the story.  If they put the Council and children or teens together in the same conversation, most people usually think in terms of prevention.  How nice, we are going to engage the youth, find ways to inform them, their parents, teachers, counselors and the universe at large about the perils of being involved with a virtual galaxy ...

On March 14, 2019 Ewing High School participated in a Day of Dialogue. Over 10 high schools in the Mercer County area participated in this event held at Rider University. Twelve students were asked to attend from each school. Day of Dialogue is a student centered forum, focused on bringing high school students from diverse backgrounds together, to promote conversation, awareness and action around ...

Last week, Ewing High School found out about two students who have had hardships hit them and their families. One student and his/her family lost their home and all of their belongings in a fire. While they are being housed by Red Cross, they will have to start from scratch to regain everything that was destroyed in the fire. Another student lost a parent to a long battle of cancer. As like any FA...

Recreational marijuana legalization is a hot button issue in New Jersey this year.  In order to make informed decisions on policies that protect our most vulnerable populations and local communities, we need to stay up to date with current research and findings from around the country.  Join us for an important conversation about this issue, with featured speakers: Dr. William Kernan, Pr...

This education scholarship is in the amount of $500. It is available to Mercer County residents (or individuals attending school in Mercer County) pursuing education/certification/licensure in the fields of prevention, social work, counseling or substance related challenges (i.e., CADC, CPS, LCADC, CPRS, CRSP or bachelors degree in the fields of social work, public health, psychology, etc). It was...

The Prevention Coalition of Mercer County and Mercer Council is very pleased to offer a responsible alcohol beverage server training called TIPS on March 27th from 12pm - 5pm at Landmark Americana in Ewing.  It is free to all Mercer County licensed alcohol beverage retailers and their bar/wait staff.  The focus of this evidence-based training is on responsible consumption of alcohol and ...

Mary-Kate Hardy, MS, NCC, LAC of High Focus Centers will be giving a lunch and learn at Mercer Council on March 26th on the topic of Internet Gaming Disorder:  A Guide to Video Game Addiction.  This presentnation will explore the impact of video games on functioning and identify the pros and cons of online game playing.  She will also discuss ways for professionals to identify if a ...

Last week, January 22-25th was National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) . Area schools and groups held contests, activities, and informational meetings about facts surrounding substance use and misuse. A coalition member, The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ), wrote an informative article that showed more facets of addiction studies as part of NDAFW. We are grateful for our ...

 The Superbowl is approaching, and along with the hype of the anticipated game, comes the excitement associated with the Superbowl commercials that will be aired during the broadcast. Companies will use creative means to present their products and services in the hopes that consumers will buy and utilize them. Many children and teenagers will view these commercials and therefore, it is import...