Alcohol-free Weekend to be Observed March 30 - April 1

Alcohol-Free weekend, traditionally observed during NCADD Alcohol Awareness Month in April, is scheduled for March 30-April 1, 2018.

Alcohol Awareness Month, founded and sponsored by The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) since 1987, is a national grassroots effort observed by communities throughout the United States to support prevention, research, education, intervention, treatment, and recovery from alcoholism and alcohol-related problems.

During Alcohol-Free Weekend, NCAAD and Crescent Community Health Center ask parents and other adults to abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages for a 72-hour period to demonstrate that alcohol isn’t necessary to have a good time.

To best address the rapidly growing need for access to substance abuse counseling, Crescent collaborated with the Substance Abuse Services Center (SASC) on ways to more efficiently and effectively meet the substance abuse disorder needs of our patients and community. Late last year, a partnership was established when SASC opened a counseling office inside Crescent offering specialty substance abuse counseling to our patients. Our goal is to work together to provide a comprehensive recovery-oriented system of care.

“Care and treatment of substance use disorders at the intersection of primary care is important to our patients. Dubuque has long been known as a community with heavy alcohol use,” said Julie Woodyard, Executive Director. “If we highlight and assist even one person to reduce their substance use and become healthier, we are succeeding.”

NCADD Alcohol Awareness Month offers community organizations concerned about individuals, families, and children an opportunity to work together to not only raise awareness and understating about the negative consequences of alcohol use, but to highlight the need for local action and services focused don prevention, treatment, and recovery.

Crescent Community Health Center first opened its doors in October of 2006. We were founded by a group of dedicated board members, and the community who identified the need for primary medical and dental care for underserved populations. Since then, Crescent has been providing high-quality primary and preventive medical and dental care to over 6,000 unique patients per year in our community.