August 13, 1999

As a founding member of the Revere CARES (Community Awareness, Resources and Education to prevent Substance abuse) coalition, the MGH Revere HealthCare Center sponsored a special awards ceremony to recognize organizations that help reduce alcohol and drug abuse among Revere youth. Honoring the Revere Chamber of Commerce, the Revere Rotary Club and the Revere Public Schools Partnership, the event was part of Revere's celebration of "National Night Out," which supports the efforts of community groups that keep neighborhoods free of crime and drugs.

Roger Pasinski, MD, medical director of MGH Revere, with Kitty Bowman, director of the Revere CARES coalition and director of Community Benefits at MGH Revere.

The Revere CARES coalition was initiated four years ago by the MGH Community Benefit Program and MGH Revere HealthCare Center as a community health improvement effort. The MGH Community Benefit Program funds the coalition and supports its goal of reducing substance abuse among Revere's youth by supporting a drug/alcohol educator-counselor at Revere High School, a youth outreach program, a substance abuse specialist at MGH Revere HealthCare Center and Project Sangkhim, a substance abuse treatment program serving Revere's Cambodian population. The Revere CARES coalition includes concerned citizens, service providers, the police, the school system, businesses and health care providers, including clinicians from MGH Revere.