Prescott LIVING Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Prescott LIVING Magazine - Click for Current Issue
  • Inside
    • Voices
    • Special Sections
      • 40 Under 40
      • Annual Photo Contest
        • People’s Choice Photo Winners
      • Best of Greater Prescott
      • Everyone Can Be a Hero
      • Holiday
      • Medical, Health & Wellness
      • Men of Vision
      • New Year, New You
      • Relocation
      • Wealth Management
      • Weddings & Events
      • Women in Leadership
    • Up Front
      • City Speak
    • BIZ
    • YOU
      • Out & About
      • Beauty & Style
      • Health, Happiness & Education
      • Education
      • Pets
      • Home
        • Home & Garden
    • FUN
      • Arts & Culture
      • Outdoor Adventure
      • Restaurants
        • Pizza
      • Travel & Tourism
    • The ROX Interview
    • Prescott Pioneer Local News
    • Q & A
  • Current Issue
  • Community Calendar
  • Past Issues
  • Subscribe
    • eNewsletter & Digital Edition Subscription
  • Inside
    • Voices
    • Special Sections
      • 40 Under 40
      • Annual Photo Contest
        • People’s Choice Photo Winners
      • Best of Greater Prescott
      • Everyone Can Be a Hero
      • Holiday
      • Medical, Health & Wellness
      • Men of Vision
      • New Year, New You
      • Relocation
      • Wealth Management
      • Weddings & Events
      • Women in Leadership
    • Up Front
      • City Speak
    • BIZ
    • YOU
      • Out & About
      • Beauty & Style
      • Health, Happiness & Education
      • Education
      • Pets
      • Home
        • Home & Garden
    • FUN
      • Arts & Culture
      • Outdoor Adventure
      • Restaurants
        • Pizza
      • Travel & Tourism
    • The ROX Interview
    • Prescott Pioneer Local News
    • Q & A
  • Current Issue
  • Community Calendar
  • Past Issues
  • Subscribe
    • eNewsletter & Digital Edition Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Prescott LIVING Magazine
Prescott LIVING Magazine - Click for Current Issue
Home YOU

MATFORCE 12 YEARS OF BREAKING GROUND, LEADING THE WAY

April 5, 2018
325
SHARES
2.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

by Sheila Polk, County Attorney, Yavapai County

It was a quiet Sunday morning in 2001. A widow, who lived alone in a quiet Cottonwood neighborhood, answered a knock at her front door. There stood a young man who asked if he could use her telephone, and she let him in. What happened next was a blur of chokeholds, blackouts and repeated violent sexual acts that left her, two hours later, prone on her bedroom floor. The widow crawled to her phone and called 911. The rapist was caught a month later and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault.

I personally tried this case in 2003. The jury found the accused guilty on all counts, and the judge sentenced him to the rest of his life in prison. The case was over, but the apparent lack of motive haunted me. Why did a 30-year-old man rape a 60-year-old widow on a quiet Sunday morning?

The answer arrived in November 2005 when a letter appeared in my inbox. “Department of Corrections” was the return address. It was a letter from the rapist, and here is what he wrote:

“I was all messed up on meth when I did this horrible thing. I can tell you with all honesty that I would of (sic) never done what I did while straight.  I made the choice to use the drugs and as a result a total innocent lady was badly hurt and I’m so sorry.”

It hit me then. The work of a prosecutor was not enough. Our job is reactive. We file charges and seek justice for victims of crime, but nothing we do — neither the conviction nor the lengthy prison sentence — can ever undo the harm to our victims. At that moment, for me, the idea for MATFORCE began to take root.

I reached out to other criminal justice and behavioral health leaders in our community. Passionate conversations ensued in which we all shared the devastation that methamphetamine was wreaking everywhere. These conversations grew into community meetings, and over time, into a countywide substance abuse coalition that we named the Methamphetamine Advisory Task Force, or MATFORCE.

So much has happened in the 12 years since. We expanded our focus to all substances of abuse and underage drinking. We hired our fabulous executive director, Merilee Fowler, and invited everyone to the table to help seek solutions to our county’s drug problems.

Today, we have over 300 active volunteers who serve on various committees, are on our speaker’s bureau, or attend our monthly Lunch N’ Learns. We do regular Dump the Drugs events, and all area law enforcement agencies now have drop boxes in their lobbies for unwanted medications.

We were the first county in the state to implement strategies to combat the opioid crisis with programs such as Sign Up To Save Lives and our “Pills+Alcohol It’s a Deadly Mix” campaign.

The mission of MATFORCE is to work in partnership to build healthier communities by eliminating substance abuse and its effects. We primarily focus on prevention and intervention. In 2011, MATFORCE launched our highly successful Yavapai Reentry Project to match community mentors with former prison inmates to help them lead successful, productive lives here in Yavapai County.

MATFORCE is the primary provider of drug education in schools throughout Yavapai County with curricula that is appropriate for every age group. Our annual youth poster and video contests are everyone’s favorite.

Healthy communities are drug-free. Everyone can be part of our mission of prevention. In the words of 5-year old Paige, who won one of our poster contests, “Say no to drugs, say yes to puppies.”

Previous Post

STRICKLIN PARK

Next Post

NEW ‘ARIZONA & THE GREAT WAR’ EXHIBIT CHRONICLES AMERICA’S SHIFT TO GREATNESS

Next Post

NEW ‘ARIZONA & THE GREAT WAR’ EXHIBIT CHRONICLES AMERICA’S SHIFT TO GREATNESS

Join our Newsletter

Prescott LIVING eNewsletter Subscription

No Result
View All Result
Cover for Prescott Living Magazine
11,553
Prescott Living Magazine

Prescott Living Magazine

Come & enjoy the local scene in Prescott Arizona!

Prescott Living Magazine

1 day ago

Prescott Living Magazine
LOCAL NEWS: The Northern Arizona VA in Prescott has provided an update on their Homeless Veteran Program. . . .PRESCOTT, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona VA Health Care System’s Homeless Veteran Program, along with its community partners, housed 445 Veterans in 2022, exceeding their target goal by 157%.Nationally, the 2022 goal was to house 38,000 homeless Veterans— a goal that was exceeded by 6.3%. The Department of Veterans Affairs remains committed to ending Veteran homelessness and increasing housing placements is critical to achieving this goal.“This success is a result of efforts built on the evidence-based ‘Housing First’ approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then provides the Veteran with the support they need to stay housed,” said Steve Sample, Medical Center Director.In Northern Arizona, there are a variety of services designed to house homeless Veterans. The VA’s Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program includes VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers that provide formerly homeless Veterans with subsidized housing and a wraparound, interdisciplinary case management team to address issues that may have contributed to homelessness. The program provides justice outreach services, employment services, health care services through the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, outreach, and transitional housing support. The VA also works closely with community partners to house homeless Veterans through a system called Coordinated Entry, where community agencies along with the VA regularly meet to coordinate efforts and ensure homeless Veterans do not fall through the cracks.“We are fortunate that there is so much support for helping homeless Veterans in our area,” said Jessica Taylor, Homeless Program Coordinator for the Northern Arizona VA. “This success could not have been possible without great collaboration between our community partners, Housing Authorities, Tribal partnerships, and support from our local communities.”Looking ahead, the VA will continue to explore new avenues to house homeless Veterans and overcome housing barriers. In collaboration with U.S VETS, Gorman & Company, and the Arizona Department of Housing, a supportive housing project on the grounds of the VA’s Fort Whipple campus is in the initial planning stages. The VA is also expanding outreach to ensure that homeless Veterans are aware of services available to them. For Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness— or if you know of homeless Veterans in need of assistance, call 877-424-3838.For more information on renting to or hiring homeless Veterans, visit: www.va.gov/homelessAbout the Northern Arizona VA: Through its main campus in Prescott, along with Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, and Anthem— with additional clinics in Tuba City, Page, Kayenta, Chinle, Holbrook, and Polacca, the Northern Arizona VA provides services to approximately 33,000 Veterans over a catchment area of more than 65,000 square miles.. . .www.facebook.com/VAPrescott ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Prescott Living Magazine

2 days ago

Prescott Living Magazine
Empty Bowls of Prescott Arizona has announced that it will distribute $24,000 to local foodbanks! Their 2022 Empty Bowls fundraising event took place in September, and donations can be made year round on their website.prescott-empty-bowls.square.site ... See MoreSee Less

media1.tenor.co

media1.tenor.co

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

It’s About LOCAL – ADVERTISE WITH US

© 2022 ROX Media •  Privacy Policy
info@roxco.com • 130 N. Granite St. • Prescott, AZ 86301 • 928.350.8006
CORPORATE OFFICE: 1919 N. Trekell Rd.,  Suite C •  Casa Grande, AZ 85122

No Result
View All Result
  • Inside
    • Voices
    • Special Sections
      • 40 Under 40
      • Annual Photo Contest
      • Best of Greater Prescott
      • Everyone Can Be a Hero
      • Holiday
      • Medical, Health & Wellness
      • Men of Vision
      • New Year, New You
      • Relocation
      • Wealth Management
      • Weddings & Events
      • Women in Leadership
    • Up Front
      • City Speak
    • BIZ
    • YOU
      • Out & About
      • Beauty & Style
      • Health, Happiness & Education
      • Education
      • Pets
      • Home
    • FUN
      • Arts & Culture
      • Outdoor Adventure
      • Restaurants
      • Travel & Tourism
    • The ROX Interview
    • Prescott Pioneer Local News
    • Q & A
  • Current Issue
  • Community Calendar
  • Past Issues
  • Subscribe
    • eNewsletter & Digital Edition Subscription

© 2022 ROX Media