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Naloxone Myths Vs. The Facts
Myth: Having naloxone available encourages people to take more drugs. Fact: When someone has access to naloxone, their level of drug use does not change. Being revived with naloxone is not fun. It can cause painful and severe physical and emotional symptoms. For this reason, people only use naloxone in life-threatening situations. Separate other myths about naloxone from the facts—facts like the surgeon general calling for naloxone to be more readily available to help prevent overdose deaths.
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Trauma Surgeons Have Seen Gun Violence Carnage Up Close—And It Is Personal
The words of the trauma surgeons who had threated countless gunshot wounds carried a lot of weight during a KU Medical Center symposium about the epidemic of firearm violence across the nation (and in our own community). But the one non-surgeon who spoke during the day-long event really struck a chord when she said, “Our kids are worrying about being shot in their schools. How many are going to have PTSD? Our kids are thinking like kids in a war-torn nation."
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Sheffield Place Anti-Bullying Program Starts With Kindness
When she began developing Sheffield Place’s anti-bullying program 2½ years ago, Heather Berry deliberately sought to avoid focusing solely on the negative: Don’t be mean. Don’t hurt others. Don’t be a bully. Instead, “Miss Heather” emphasizes the positive qualities that can help anyone any age be a better person. The program starts with children as young as 3. Sheffield Place serves homeless mothers and their children. The background of 75% of its clients includes domestic violence.
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COMBAT Seeking 3 Community Engagement Program Monitors
Duties will include writing narratives of the detailed observations, conclusions, findings, concerns and recommendations of site visits to COMBAT-funded agencies. Minimum qualifications include an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice or Public Health, or being a Certified Prevention Specialist or a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, or experience in a related field.
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Half Toward Enforcement
COMBAT is supported through a quarter-center sales tax that Jackson County voters first approved in 1989 and have since renewed multiple times—the last time being in 2016 when they voted (with record 77% support) extending the COMBAT text another nine years.
The tax generates more than $20 million a year to support prevention, treatment and anti-violence programs. The County Legislature approved a forumlar to distribute the funding, with half the revenue going toward law enforcement efforts.
A quarter-cent sales tax equates to an extra 25 cents per $100 spend. An estimated 30% of COMBAT revenue is generated by non-Jackson County resident paying the tax when shopping in the county. » MORE
Where Are COMBAT Resources Needed Most?
Where is COMBAT needed most? Data is now helping dictate how COMBAT resources can best be utilizing. Statistics are being used to generate smart maps that identify the "hot spots" in Jackson County—areas with high concentrations of violence (aggravated assaults, homicides, rapes and robberies).
COMBAT is using these maps to focus COMBAT-funded agencies, social services providers, law enforcement officials, elected leaders, school administrators and others on a collaborative, all-encompassing approach to helping reduce crime and cool down the "hot spots." » MORE