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United for Prevention in Passaic County Receives Award for Community Alcohol Training Program

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Health Communications, Inc. (HCI), provider of the TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) Program, is pleased to announce that United for Prevention in Passaic County, New Jersey has been awarded the 2015 TIPS Award of Excellence.

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Recipients of this award are chosen by an internal committee led by HCI's President & CEO, Adam Chafetz. Selection is based on the number of students certified as well as feedback from TIPS trainers, student participants, and community leaders. "Passaic County is a perfect example of how a coalition can act as the glue within a community to ensure that all stakeholders are speaking the same language when it comes to preventing alcohol-related incidents. United for Prevention in Passaic County is able to work with local establishments and college campuses to reduce underage drinking and intoxication. TIPS is one of the many resources they use to encourage collaboration between communities," said Mr. Chafetz.

The United for Prevention in Passaic County coalition was created in 2012 through a grant awarded to William Paterson University (WPU) by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services to provide substance abuse prevention resources in the county. Hosted by WPU, the coalition functions to serve the community and has two priorities: reduce underage drinking and reduce the misuse and abuse of prescription medications.

"Conducting TIPS training within the community and at the university and college level is an excellent preventative environmental strategy that best meets our goal to reduce underage drinking. We train Peer Educators at Passaic County Community College and Peer Health Advocates at William Paterson University to become certified TIPS for the University trainers so that they can conduct the training sessions with their peers. Coalition members and Municipal Alliance Coordinators have also been trained as commercial certified TIPS trainers and are able to assist the coalition with training as many establishments in the county as possible," said Sherrine Schuldt, Prevention Specialist at United for Prevention in Passaic County.

The coalition has sponsored 45 certified TIPS trainers who have trained almost 400 university and college students, 29 participants from four local bars, and 27 liquor store owners. The 2015 TIPS Award of Excellence will be presented at the Passaic County Youth Services Conference on December 18, 2015.

About Health Communications, Inc.
Health Communications, Inc. (HCI) was founded in 1982 by the Health Education Foundation and Dr. Morris Chafetz, founding director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. HCI is a nationally recognized expert in the field of alcohol server training. Over 4 million people worldwide have been certified in the TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) program. Proven effective by third-party studies, TIPS is a skills-based training program designed to prevent intoxication, underage drinking, and drunk driving. TIPS offers seven programs that address the unique environments where alcohol is served, sold, and consumed, including On Premise, Off Premise, Concessions, Gaming, University, Seniors, and Workplace. To learn more, visit www.gettips.com.

Contact:

Trevor Estelle

Health Communications, Inc.

703-524-1200 ext. 357

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