Suffield Youth Services, the Suffield Prevention Council and the Town of Suffield are proud to announce the launch of the Prevention Starts with You™ initiative in collaboration with The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, becoming the first municipality in Connecticut to deliver drug deactivation pouches directly to all households. This town-wide mailing is in addition to an awareness campaign.
The initiative officially launched during National Prevention Week, a time dedicated to raising awareness about substance misuse prevention and promoting community-based solutions that keep young people safe.
Beginning May 10, residents began to see Prevention Starts with You™ materials arriving in their mailboxes, including a Deterra drug deactivation pouch and information on how to safely dispose of unused medications at home.
Unused medications in household medicine cabinets are a leading source of first exposure and misuse, particularly among young people. This initiative addresses that risk directly by giving residents a simple, safe, and immediate way to act, at home.
“Prevention can start at home with proper storage, disposal, and simply having conversations,” said Kelly Juleson, Co-President of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “By putting these tools directly into the hands of residents, Suffield is leading the way in showing how local communities can take meaningful, proactive steps to reduce risk before it starts.”
Through this effort, Suffield is reaching households at scale, making prevention visible, accessible, and actionable for families in their community.
Suffield’s leadership marks an important milestone in scaling prevention efforts across Connecticut, demonstrating how opioid settlement funds can be used in a visible, practical way that directly benefits residents.
About Prevention Starts with You™
The Prevention Starts with You™ initiative was originally launched as a statewide awareness campaign to make prevention easy to implement and effective at scale. Now, with support from The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, municipalities can deliver clear, actionable tools and messaging directly to residents, helping families take simple steps at home to reduce risk before it starts.
About The Governor’s Prevention Partnership
The Governor’s Prevention Partnership builds statewide capacity to prevent underage drinking and substance use and promotes the overall well-being of Connecticut’s youth through prevention, mentoring, and strategic partnerships.