The Prevention Council of Putnam is dedicated to fostering a healthier, safer community through education, outreach, advocacy, and support for mental health and recovery. We offer comprehensive training sessions, educational forums, and interactive presentations for community organizations, school faculty, parents, and students across Putnam County. Our outreach efforts include active participation in community resource events, health fairs, and collaborative initiatives with local stakeholders.
In our commitment to substance use prevention and harm reduction, we provide Naloxone Overdose Prevention Training to equip individuals with life-saving skills. Additionally, we support local school districts and community service agencies through tailored staff development programs that enhance awareness and promote best practices in prevention and wellness.
The Prevention Council actively promote mental health through education, resources, and community programs that encourage resilience, self-care, and early intervention.
Recognizing the importance of ongoing support for individuals in recovery, we also offer recovery support services to help individuals and families navigate their journey toward sustained wellness. Through education, resources, and community connections, we strive to empower those in recovery and reduce the stigma surrounding substance use and mental health disorders.
By engaging and supporting our community, we aim to create a lasting impact on public health, safety, and overall well-being throughout Putnam County.
Drug Free Communities
The DFC program, in collaboration with the Carmel Communities That Care (CTC) Coalition, aims to reduce substance use among youth by addressing community factors that increase the risk of substance use and promoting factors that minimize the risk of substance use. The Coalition includes individuals from all sectors of the community who work together to reduce risk factors and strengthen protective factors through education, enforcement, and policy initiatives. If you are interested in joining the Coalition please contact us at 845-225-4646.
Escape the Vape
Premise: Participants are trapped in a room with peers who are vaping and they have to solve a series of puzzles to use the information to convince them that vaping is unhealthy.
Best with 8 – 24 participants. About 40 minutes to complete activity. Ideal for Middle School aged students. For more information or to schedule a training, call us at 845-225-4646.
Hidden in Plain Sight
An interactive educational program that gives participants the opportunity to explore a simulated teen’s bedroom, identify potential paraphernalia or drug-related items and learn about current drug trends and signs and symptoms of youth substance use.
This program will also provide resources and tools for parents, educators and community members to identify ways to prevent further substance use through prevention, treatment and recovery services in the Putnam County. For more information or to schedule a training, call us at 845-225-4646.
Information and Referral
The Prevention Council offers comprehensive information on alcohol, substance use, and other drugs, as well as confidential referrals for individuals and families seeking support. Our services include connecting individuals to treatment for substance use disorders and mental health concerns, linking them to recovery support services, and providing guidance on accessing behavioral health and other essential community resources. We are committed to empowering individuals with the knowledge and support they need to make informed decisions and find the help that best fits their needs.
Mental Health – Satellite Mental Health Clinic
School – based Satellite Mental Health Clinic at Carmel High School
Licensed by the NYS Office of Mental Health to provide outpatient mental health services for adolescents 13-20 and their families, the Student Assistance Counseling Center provides: comprehensive assessment; individual, group, and family counseling; crisis intervention; psychiatric evaluation; medication evaluation and management; substance abuse screening; and parent consultation. Specialized services are provided for teens who have been bullied, who bully others, have a family member with a substance use disorder, and/or are experiencing anxiety and/or depression. For more information click here.
Milton Carpenter Scholarship
This scholarship is available to high school seniors. Please see requirements and details.
Opioid Overdose Prevention Provider
The Prevention Council of Putnam is a registered Opioid Overdose Prevention Provider with the New York State Department of Health. We offer training to community members, professionals, para-professionals, clients, patients, and their families on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose, including the proper administration of Naloxone (Narcan®).
Upon completing the training, participants receive a Naloxone kit containing two doses of intranasal Naloxone, an instruction card, and universal precautionary supplies.
For more information or to schedule a training, call us at 845-225-4646.
Problem Gambling Prevention Program
The Problem Gambling Prevention Program is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the negative impact that problem and compulsive gambling has on the individual, family and community while ensuring access to preventative and treatment services. For many people gambling is a fun and entertaining activity. For some, gambling is an unhealthy habit and/or addiction. For these individuals, gambling not only negatively affects their finances, it controls their lives. Many problem and compulsive gamblers feel real physical and mental symptoms while their relationships are severely altered and diminished. There is help and hope for people experiencing the addiction of gambling. For more information please visit our gambling awareness page.
Simulated Impaired DriviNg Experience ® (SIDNE)
SIDNE® is a behind the wheel driving experience that makes the dangers of distracted and impaired driving real and personal. Drivers and passengers can safely experience a simulation of what happens when they attempt to operate a vehicle while impaired or distracted. SIDNE ® is now being introduced to enable high school students, college students, and parents to experience firsthand the often unimagined impact of driving while impaired. SIDNE ® is a prevention initiative utilized and demonstrated in a collaborative effort by The Prevention Council of Putnam, Putnam County CTC Coalition and the Putnam County Youth Bureau, to deliver engaging and hands-on lessons about the misuse and abuse of alcohol and other drugs and the dangers of distracted driving. Other activities include Fatal Vision ® Impairment Goggles, Distract-A-Match ®, simulated field sobriety test, Intoxiclock ® and Sum-It-Cup ®.
School-Based Education and Presentations
The Prevention Council staff are a multi-disciplinary team with training in various areas. We offer evidence-based classroom education for middle and high school students, focusing on substance use prevention, mental health promotion, and overall wellness. Our programs are grounded in research and best practices, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices, build resilience, and support their well-being. Through interactive lessons, open discussions, and real-world applications, we empower students to develop critical thinking, coping strategies, and positive decision-making skills that foster long-term health and success.
Trainings include Stanford University’s Smart Talk: Cannabis Prevention and Awareness Curriculum; Neuroplasticity; SPORT – Substance Use Prevention Optimizing Robust Teens; CATCH My Breath; Current Drug Trends. These curricula aim to: equip students with knowledge about various drugs, raise awareness of deceptive marketing practices targeting youth and build refusal skills to resist experimentation with drugs. The programs also offer essential insights into adolescent brain development, addiction, positive youth development, and the health effects of substance use. Please contact us for more information or to schedule classroom presentations or training. For more information or to schedule a training, call us at 845-225-4646.
Team Teen
Team Teen or Teen Intervene, is an evidenced-based early intervention program targeting 12 to 19 year-olds who display the early stages of alcohol or drug use problems (e.g., using or possessing drugs during school) but do not use these substances daily or demonstrate substance dependence. Integrating stages of change theory, motivational enhancement, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, this intervention aims to help teens reduce and ultimately eliminate their alcohol and other drug use. Visit Team Teen for more information or to schedule an appointment.
Victim Impact Panel
The Putnam County Victim Impact Panel (VIP) Program is a collaboration between The Prevention Council of Putnam, Putnam County Probation Department and Putnam County STOP DWI. The program provides bi-monthly forums on the consequences of impaired driving from people whose lives have been impacted by an impaired driver. Other panel members include people in recovery, emergency services providers, police officers, or even a DWI/DWAI offender. People convicted of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) are mandated by the courts to attend VIP with the aim of reducing recidivism. For more information please visit the Victim Impact Panel page.
