Free webinar “Preventing Alcohol Use during Pregnancy: Applying New Solutions to Ongoing Needs” on September 9, 2013

SAMSHA webinar is one of hundreds of events to mark International FASD Awareness Day

The SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence is hosting a free webinar on September 9, 2013 on “Preventing Alcohol Use during Pregnancy – Applying New Solutions to Ongoing Needs.”

The webinar features:

• Dr. Susan Astley, University of Washington, who will provide an overview of FASD and reflect on the 40th anniversary of the coining of the term, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
• Dr. Margaret Ellen Mattson who will discuss the the prevalence of women drinking during pregnancy (based on SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
• Jamie Reinebold from Memorial Hospital of South Bend who will present on Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) data (by trimesters)
• Paulette Romashko, ARC Community Services; Helen Weinstein, The Erie County Council for the Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Inc.; Laura Nagle, Kentucky State FASD Coordinator; and Jamie Reinebold, Memorial Hospital of South Bend (Indiana) who will discuss strategies to prevent alcohol consumption during pregnancy in public health and community settings

The webinar is just one of hundreds of activities taking place on September 9, International FASD Awareness Day. 1999 was the first year that International FASD Awareness Day was observed. This year, hundreds of communities will mark the event with activities ranging from storytelling breakfasts to mini-pow wows to mocktails in bars.

Check out previous posts to get ideas for honouring the day:

• FASD Awareness Day 2012: Round-up of Activities across Canada (September 10, 2012)
• FASD Awareness Day 2011 (September 13, 2011)
• FASD Awareness Day 2010 (September 20, 2010)

There are a lot of existing resources to help with organizing an event for International FASD Awareness Day. Here are a few suggestions to get started:

• FASDay – Background on the origins of FASD Awareness Day and lots of ideas for planning an event for individuals and communities
• Best Start Resource Centre (Ontario)- Alcohol and pregnancy resources for women, their families and health professionals, including Mocktails for Moms and printer-ready handouts in English, French, Arabic, Cree, Ojibway, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Tagalog
• SAMSHA FASD Center of Excellence (USA) – Proclamations, banners, public service announcements and more
• BC Ministry of Health – International FASD Awareness Day Toolkit that includes planning tools, sample press releases, and FAQs