Texas Border Business
Brownsville, TX – On Saturday, December 7, the PCI Coalition hosted a training at Valley Regional Medical Center with the goal of providing members with the knowledge and tools to help communities plan for and implement social host ordinances. Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth, formerly Texans Standing Tall, Inc., provided and conducted the training.
Social host ordinances are tools for law enforcement to combat underage drinking, especially at house parties or other social gatherings where teens are present. In Texas, alcohol is the number one substance misused by teens, and the ordinances hold the homeowner responsible for providing an environment to drink alcohol—whether or not they supply the alcohol.
“The average age when South Texas youth start drinking is 13. Most of them get the alcohol from their own homes or homes of their friends,” says Alex Ybarra, a Youth Prevention Director with Behavioral Health Solutions. “This isn’t about punishing parents who drink, but the hope is for parents to be more aware of what their kids and friends are doing in their homes, especially if alcohol is involved.”
The Positive Community Impact Coalition would like to thank Valley Regional Medical Center for donating the training space as well as providing lunch for attendees. They would also like to thank the following organizations for their continued support and community involvement: Palms Behavioral Health, CASA of Cameron and Willacy Counties, MAXIMUS, Judge Louis Sorola, Friendship of Women, and Wells Fargo.
The mission of Behavioral Health Solutions is to provide a multilevel approach inclusive of prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery to reduce substance abuse and related co-existing conditions in our communities, encourage healthier life-styles related to at-risk public health behaviors, and promote stronger families. For more information about future conferences or Behavioral Health Solutions, or to become a volunteer, please visit our website at www.bhsst.org. You can also join our efforts through our social media at Facebook.com/bhsofsouthtexas, Twitter.com/bhsst, or Instagram.com/bhs_st.
