County must ‘keep focusing on our kids,’ prevention specialist says following three community meetings

Despite sparse attendance, three meetings held recently to inform parents about the challenges young people face reached key people, said Barb Reiter, Jefferson County’s prevention specialist and DUI task force coordinator and the meetings’ organizer.

The meetings were held at Whitehall Community Center, Clancy Library and Jefferson High School on Oct. 21, Oct. 24 and Oct. 29, respectively. Each featured a panel discussion and information about drugs and alcohol, smoking and vaping, and other potentially harmful activities youth engage in.

The meetings were paid for through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Reiter said.