In The Press

Second Annual Family Fun Day - You're invited!

2009-07-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

On behalf of the Malden Kiwanis, Healthy Malden would like to invite you to participate in the Second Annual Family Fun Day. This Kiwanis event is open to all area families and enjoyed a tremendous turnout last year.

This fun-filled family event will take place at Devir Park on Saturday, August 15th from 10 am - 4 pm. The event will have an 18-hole miniature golf course, a moonwalk, and other inflatable rides for children along with some added attractions. There will also be plenty of burgers and hotdogs. In addition to partnering with healthy Malden for the incredibly successful Healthy Kids Day, Malden Kiwanis benefits numerous children's charities ranging from Kiwanis' Pediatric Trauma Unit to the Reading is Fundamental Program (RIF)

See the NECN Interview

2009-06-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

NECN comes to Healthy Malden

2009-06-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Let Me Prove It" empowers teens to resist drugs

(NECN: Alysha Palumbo, Arlington, Mass.) - Studies show nearly half of all teens try an illicit drug before they graduate high school. And as the school year ends, temptations rise.

Just last month, a local pilot program called "Let Me Prove It" began, aiming to reduce those numbers by giving teens the opportunity to prove they're drug free... and influence their friends to do the same.

16-year-old Patrick O'Neill is an Arlington High School junior who plays football, lacrosse and runs indoor track. With a bright future ahead of him, O'Neill says he has steered clear of the peer pressure to experiment with drugs.

"As a student athlete I know that drugs can really affect how well you do in school and athletics."

But O'Neill is hoping to use his own peer pressure - positive peer pressure that is - to try to influence his classmates to prove their drug-free.

"Hopefully we can chip away at the people who do do it and try and prevent people from doing it."

It's all part of a campaign called "Let Me Prove It" created by Waltham-based drug test manufacturer First Check.

"It's a really unique approach to a drug prevention program, because it puts the power in the hands of the teens."

Right now it's a pilot program being tested out in both Arlington and Malden.
A handful of prominent high school juniors in each community have volunteered to take an at-home drug test.

As ambassadors to the program, they recruit their friends and classmates to take a test... and like a spider web, the program aims to weave its drug-free message through the schools.

"They go out to their friends who are clean and get them started on this program and then it starts to reach the kids who are mostly clean and then maybe hopefully we can reach the kids who say, you know what, I hear what they're saying, it's making sense to me, so I'm just going to go clean."

As executive director of the group Healthy Malden, Kevin Duffy knows this won't prevent all teens from doing drugs. But he believes it will be more effective than previous programs where parents concerned about drug use pushed the drug tests on their kids.

"When you have an adult or an authority figure talking to them, they almost always see that finger wagging and they hear that tone of voice. When it's kids talking to kids, they take it as advice, they take it as counsel and they actually use this in their decision-making."

"So this is the First Check home drug test and here's how it's works, you put your specimen in the cup - and in this case, we'll use water - you close the lid, you put it on a flat surface and in about five minutes you get your results."

"It works similar to a pregnancy test in the fact that it's a line interpretation test - you will get a control line which shows that the test is working, then if you get a line for a drug that means there is no drug detected, meaning a negative test."

First Check provides the $40 tests for free to the ambassadors and their recruits. They say the tests are 99% accurate, providing results for twelve different drugs.
"Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug but we also test for cocaine, methamphetamines, opiates, and then under the prescription drugs we test for things like oxycodone, benzodiazapine and other pain killers."

O'Neill says he's confident this will help reduce drug use in his school.
"I think it'll work fairly well. There are some very committed kids who are willing to go the extra mile to hand out the tests and get everyone committed to the same program."

And it pays to participate - the ambassadors earn rewards for how many students they recruit - ranging from $20 iTunes gift cards to a $2,000 college scholarship.

Original story and video available here:
http://necn.com/Boston/Health/2009/06/10/Let-Me-Prove-It-empowers/1244638598.html

Mock Car Crash Video

2009-05-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

Mock Car Crash at Malden High School

2009-05-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

Sending a message about drunk driving: School administrators plead with students to make safe decisions

By Natalie Miller / Malden Observer Fri May 22, 2009

MALDEN - Graduation is looming and prom is just around the corner; but the faces of Malden High School seniors were somber Monday morning as they witnessed what it would be like to be involved in a prom night car crash.

The Malden High School group, “Students Against Destructive Decisions,” along with Healthy Malden, organized a mock prom night crash outside of the school May 18 to show the devastating and life-altering effects of drinking and driving.

The morning’s lesson hit especially hard this year, as the mock crash was held in Malden just days after a real life post-prom crash left one pedestrian dead and another injured in Saugus over the weekend.

According to reports from the Saugus Advertiser, Jonathan Caruso, 18, of Saugus, has pleaded not guilty to charges of motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, operating under the influence of alcohol and being a minor unlawfully transporting alcohol.

Police reports state that Caruso was behind the wheel of a Chevy Cavalier that slammed into a mother and daughter who were walking their dog on Essex Street Saturday morning. Caruso told police that he drank 10 beers while celebrating prom with friends. Police also discovered four beer cans inside the open trunk of the car, according to the report.

The Saugus mother was pronounced dead at the scene, and her daughter is in fair condition at Mass General Hospital.

Fran MacDonald from Cataldo Ambulance has been helping to organize mock car crashes in many high schools in Massachusetts for 18 years, as both a consultant and, for the last 10 years, as an employee of Cataldo. She held a mock crash in Saugus just two weeks before last Saturday’s prom.

Mock crash

The mock prom day crash held in Malden Monday morning was assisted by members of the Malden police and fire departments, Cataldo Ambulance, Sica Towing and Norton Funeral Home.

The scene was recreated and responded to just as a real crash would be, said Assistant Fire Chief Jack Colangeli.

“What we did here is exactly what you’d see in an actual incident,” he said.

Sica Towing supplied the two vehicles that were involved in the “crash,” and students from the high school’s SADD group acted out the mock crash, which began as screaming students fled their car and tried to get rid of the empty beer cans before police arrived on the scene.

Meanwhile, a student lay “dead” in the street, a victim of the crash. Other students were trapped inside the second vehicle.

Fake blood and fake brains were placed in the street next to the “victim,” played by senior Matt Zunitch. Two students are “arrested” on scene by members of the Malden Police, as emergency crews tended to the injured parties of both vehicles involved in the mock crash and the Jaws of Life were used to get to the other students.

Onlookers consoled each other as emergency crews worked to clean up the accident and police spoke to witnesses.

Members of the senior class looked on in silence as the scene unfolded Monday morning, until they finally filed into the auditorium of the high school to attend the mock wake and funeral of their fellow students.

A casket was placed on stage, surrounded by flowers and mourners, as SADD member Taylor Lombard, who has been best friends with Zunitch since gave the eulogy. She talked about growing up together and their plans for prom, college and the future. She warned students that life is a fragile thing and no one knows how long they have.

After the mock funeral, MacDonald spoke to students about the message behind the mock crash and about the incident in Saugus.

“His life is over,” she said of Caruso. “Instead of going to more parties, graduation, he is being arraigned as we speak… A second decision can change your life.”

Julie Briggs, physical education teacher at Malden High and mentor to the SADD program, said what happened in Saugus is, “so sad.”

“You send a message and send a message, but someone wasn’t listening,” she said to students Monday.

MacDonald and Briggs both stressed to students that the point of the mock crash isn’t to scare them, instead they both gave an emotional plea to the senior class to think about good decision making.

“This class is unbelievable,” said Briggs. “Be smart the next couple of weeks…I want you to have good memories; a good life. You are in charge; you are responsible.”

Malden Principal Dana Brown echoed the sentiments of Briggs and MacDonald.

“We are not going to scare you into doing the right thing,” he said. “I’m pleading, begging you to make good decisions.”

He reminded the students to support each other in doing the right thing.

“Let’s have everyone on the stage for the June 7 graduation,” he said. “Let’s have a good, safe few weeks.”

Students then heard from quest speaker, Joan Aeschlimann, school nurse at Saugus High School, who told students that she gave the same lecture to her students in Saugus two weeks ago.

“I am a single mother,” she began as she recounted the story of how her husband died in a fiery car crash after consuming alcohol earlier in the day. He had to leave the house to see a patient, and Aeschlimann said she is just glad her 11-year-old daughter wasn’t in the car at the time, and no one else was injured as a result of her husband’s actions.

She also spoke to students about the tragic ending to Saugus’ prom last weekend, telling students that yes, “Jonathan is a good kid. Jonathan killed someone… You know, my husband was a really nice guy.

“This one 18 year old kid make a stupid decision,” she said. “Please enjoy your prom; look beautiful. Enjoy senior week, but don’t make a stupid decision.”

A SADD reaction

Malden’s SADD group holds seminars throughout the year on a variety of destructive behaviors, such as drug use, teen pregnancy, depression, and relationship abuse.

SADD member Jillian Dervishian said the mock crash and funeral was really hard to see. It’s hard to think about a fellow classmate being killed that way, she said.

“We always see Matt in the hallway,” she said.

Even though he didn’t really die, said fellow SADD member Christina Valent, it was hard to see his picture on the casket.

Lombard said it was weird writing his friend’s eulogy.

“When I was reading it, I was thinking, ‘This could be real.’ It could happen to anyone,” she said, adding that a lot of kids think they are invincible, that it couldn’t happen to them.

Colangeli said student reaction usually spans from horror to concern.

“People don’t realize until they see with their own eyes how horrific these events can be,” he said. “It’s extremely important for kids to see the effects of drinking and driving.”

Healthy Malden’s Kevin Duffy said the organizers of the mock event try to make it as realistic as possible so students feel the tragedy of lives lost young.

“It is the reality of this mock moment that drives home the danger of these destructive decisions,” he said. With the media’s glamorization of drinking, it is vitally important for students to be firsthand witnesses to the deadly consequences of driving after drinking, and we hope these lessons stay with them long after they are home safe and sound from their prom.”

Original story with photos can be found here:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/malden/news/x2085725987/Sending-a-message-about-drunk-driving-School-administrators-plead-with-students-to-make-safe-decisions

Toxic Materials Recycling Day

2009-03-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

HEALTHY MALDEN’S PREVENTION TASK FORCE PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISPOSAL

Healthy Malden to Partner with the Board of Health and the DPW
MALDEN—On Saturday, March 28th Healthy Malden, in conjunction with the Malden Department of Public Works and the Malden Board of Health, will offer an expanded Quarterly Recycling Day to create a systematic collection of hazardous materials that threaten the well-being of our city. Residents will be able to drop off unused and expired prescription drugs as well as over-the-counter medications in an effort to keep these drugs out of home medicine cabinets where children can get them. Healthy Malden’s Prevention Task Force will accept these medications at the DPW, located at 356 Commercial Street, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

In addition to the Prescription Drug Disposal, the DPW will be conducting their regular recycling efforts towards tires, cathode ray tubes, televisions, computer monitors, car batteries, motor oil, oil filters, paints, and used electronic equipment. Furthermore, Healthy Malden will conduct a needle collection program while the Board of Health will accept products containing mercury. These mercury items, which include thermostats, mercury switches, elemental mercury, fluorescent light bulbs and button batteries will be accepted free of charge. Thermometers may be exchanged for a new one.

There is a fee for some of the recyclables including: $2 per car tire; $20 per truck tire; $5 for CRTs/Televisions, $1 for batteries, $1 for each gallon of motor oil (no antifreeze or transmission fluid) and $2.50 for used oil filters. Latex, oil and acrylic paints as well as stains and varnishes will also be accepted. The cost to recycle 1 to 5 gallons of paint is $10; $15 for 6 to 10 gallons; $20 for 11 to 15 gallons; and $25 for 16 to 20 gallons; $3 per gallon after 20 gallons (paint will be recycled between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.).

Super Bowl commercials deluge youth with alcohol messages

2009-02-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

To the editor:
The National Football League Championship Football game, the Super Bowl, is nearly as famous for its commercials and halftime shows as it is for the game itself. And with the last two years having the highest number of viewers ever, that means nearly 194 million people watched more beer commercials than any other type of commercial.

But how many of them are under-aged youth? Because youth who see more alcohol advertisements on average drink more than those who do not see the ads, alcohol industry marketing standards say alcohol ads should not target youth or promote heavy consumption. But with millions spent on research that provides advertisers with TV viewer and consumers sales insights, alcohol advertisers know who is watching and when and the Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University has documented widespread exposure of youth to alcohol ads and marketing on television, radio, the Web, and magazines.

For example, between the years 2001-2003, 750,000 alcohol ads aired with 180,000 more likely to be seen by underage youth than an adult. Other findings are that youth see three beer ads for every five that an adult sees on television, and in 14 of the 15 largest media markets, underage youth heard more radio alcohol advertising per capita than adults over the age of 21. Additionally, youth saw 45 percent more beer and ale ads and 27 percent more distilled spirits ads in magazines than did adults.

The long-term consequences of underage drinking are real and tragic. Those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who wait until they are 21. And while research has shown that heavy alcohol use by adolescents has long-term effects on brain development, it also plays a substantial role in the three leading causes of death among youth: unintentional injury, suicide, and homicide. Furthermore, nearly one in four teens (24 percent) say that alcohol and drug use led them to do more sexually than they had planned and teen girls who binge drink are 63 percent more likely to get pregnant in their teen years.

While many consider adolescent drinking a rite of passage, underage drinking is marked by significant abuse. Ninety-two percent of the alcohol consumed by 12-14 year olds and 96 percent of the consumption by 15-17 year olds is done when drinkers are having five or more drinks at one time. Across the United States, one out of seven eighth graders report having been drunk in the last year and by age 18, 70 percent of teens have had a drink.

Healthy Malden has worked on educating both adults and youth on the dangers of underage drinking for years. We have produced many shows for parents and guardians on the dangers of alcohol and drug use and those shows remain available for viewing at any time on our Web site, www.HEALTHYMALDEN.org.

Through educational programs created in partnership with the Malden Public Schools, the annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that we have lowered the incidences of alcohol drinking among middle-schoolers from 37 percent to 29 percent in the last four years. Just as importantly, we have also lowered the perception of peer use of alcohol from 35 percent to 13 percent in that same time frame.

Unfortunately, 44 percent of those same Malden middle-schoolers reported seeing alcohol ads in the last 30 days. Therefore, we echo the United States Surgeon General’s call that the alcohol industry has a public responsibility related to the marketing of its product. We also call upon parents and guardians to talk to their children about what they see on television and help them understand how commercials are used to sell products, services, and images that are not always based in reality. The reality is that teen alcohol consumption is unhealthy, unsafe, and unacceptable.

Kevin Duffy
Executive Director
Healthy Malden, Inc

As posted in the Malden Observer:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/malden/news/opinions/letters/x1851009663/Letter-Super-Bowl-commercials-deluge-youth-with-alcohol-messages

Healthy Malden Offers Free Toy-Testing

2008-11-21T14:35:00.001-08:00

Prior to February Regulations, Many Toys Still Contain Chemicals Dangerous to Children

MALDEN—On Saturday, January 10th in the Healthy Malden offices at 239 Commercial Street, Healthy Malden will be offering a free testing of toys for a variety of chemicals of concern used in manufacturing. From 10:00am to 2:00pm, Healthy Malden has arranged to provide free to Malden residents a universally recognized method of measuring the elemental composition of materials on or near the surface of products. The screening technology - the portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer - identifies the atomic composition of a material in order to detect lead, cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, bromine, and mercury. These chemicals have been linked in animal and sometimes human studies to long-term health impacts such as birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, and cancer.

The materials used in toys like plastics, paints, and fabrics are made up of chemicals, and may also contain added chemicals to impart specific properties such as rigidity, durability, flexibility, or flame resistance. When children put these products into their mouths, some of these chemicals may enter their bodies. Some of the substances, which are not always chemically bound to the products, may also be released directly onto skin, or into the air that children breathe. There may also be exposure through chemicals that collect in house dust.

Because children's bodies are growing and developing, they are more vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals. Even small amounts of a chemical can impact a child's ability to reach his or her full potential. Children are exposed to toxic chemicals from many sources in addition to toys, and the combination of these many exposures may cause harm. It is important to note that the rapid screening technology used cannot identify the presence and concentration of every chemical of concern.

The Ecology Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit organization, and partners across the country released the 2nd annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in toys at www.HealthyToys.org. Some findings are:

• Lead is Still in Toys - HealthyToys.org found lead in 20% of all the products tested this year, including 54 products (3.5%) that exceed the current 600 ppm recall threshold for lead-based paint, and the soon-to-be national standard for all children's products. When children are exposed to lead, the developmental and nervous system consequences can be irreversible. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended a level of 40 parts per million (ppm) of lead as the maximum that should be allowed in children's products.
• It's Not Just China - HealthyToys.org has not found a consistent correlation between the country of manufacture and the presence of toxic chemicals in toys. 21% of toys from China and 16% of those from all other countries had detectable levels of lead in 2008. 17 toys manufactured in the U.S. were sampled and 35% of those had detectable levels of lead. Two toys had levels above 600 ppm. Among the highest lead levels detected in HealthyToys.org (190,943 ppm) was in a Halloween Pumpkin Pin made in the USA.
• It's Not Just Lead - HealthyToys.org found a significant number of toys containing cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and bromine. 2.9% (45 products) had bromine at concentrations of 1,000 ppm or higher. This indicates the likely use of brominated flame retardants -- chemicals that may pose hazards to children’s health. Other toxic chemicals found in toys include arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Arsenic was detected at levels greater than 100 ppm in 22 or 1.4% of products; 289 (18.9%) of products contained detectable levels of arsenic. Cadmium was found above 100ppm in 30 (1.9%) of products; 38 (2.4%) of products contained detectable levels of cadmium. Mercury was found above 100 ppm in 14 (1%) of products; 62 (4.2%) of products contained detectable levels of mercury.
• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC / Vinyl) - HealthyToys.org identified products made with PVC plastic by measuring their chlorine content. PVC is a problematic plastic because it creates major environmental health hazards in its manufacture and disposal and may contain additives, including phthalates, that may pose hazards. 27% of toys (excluding jewelry) tested this year by HealthyToys.org were made with PVC.
• Jewelry - Jewelry remains the most contaminated product category tested. Children's jewelry is five-times more likely to contain lead above 600 ppm than other products. 15% of jewelry samples (compared to 3% of other products) had lead levels above 600 ppm. Overall, jewelry is twice as likely to contain detectable levels of lead as other products. Numerous Hannah Montana brand jewelry items tested high for lead. HealthyToys.org recommends that consumers avoid low cost children's jewelry.
• The Good News – The good news is that 62% (954) of the products tested contain LOW levels of chemicals of concern, including 324 of these products which contained NO chemicals of concern. These products look and feel no different than other children's products on the shelf. These findings show that manufacturers can and should make toys free of unnecessary toxic chemicals.

Beginning in February, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act will adopt levels for antimony, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, chromium as a mandatory standard, but toys from this past holiday are not subject to these regulations.

About Healthy Malden, Inc.
Healthy Malden, Inc. is a unique public/private community coalition founded in 1993 by Hallmark Health System and the Mayor’s Office of the City of Malden. Healthy Malden's mission is carried out by conducting and maintaining a comprehensive assessment of the health status of the residents of Malden through data analysis and research survey tools; obtaining broad public consensus about Malden’s top priority health concerns; encouraging collaboration among public and private sector organizations, community groups, and residents to work together to address these concerns; and identifying and attracting new resources into Malden to help improve the health status of all residents.