community.

The Centre for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention is the new name of CADA.

Formerly known as the Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. The name change comes in response to worrying signs that emerged in a recent survey for the Council Partners Charitable Trust.

The survey showed that public awareness about CADA had actually dropped with only slightly more than half those surveyed, 51.4 percent, saying they were familiar with the organisation, and a low 22.5 percent saying they knew what work the organisation did.

A new logo accompanies the new name as the agency takes a "more focused approach'' to their activity. Prevention is the area CADA will now specialise and concentrate on.

"We want to be completely focused on alcohol and drug abuse prevention,'' said CADA chairman John Tartaglia at their Annual General Meeting yesterday.

"We will achieve this focus through the development and implementation of three key prevention services: the Prevention Resource Centre, Community Event Management and the Bermuda Responsible Alcohol Sales & Service (BRASS) programme.'' The Prevention Resource Centre (PRC), according to Mr. Tartaglia, will be "the cornerstone'' of CADA's prevention effort. Aiming to open in the Stables Building in September, he pointed out that "an aggressive time frame'' has been set.

"We need to gather prevention resources, make a needs assessment and develop databases which are easily accessible and readily available,'' Mr. Tartaglia said.

Clearly pleased with the results of a specially televised play performed by prisoners at Westgate for CedarBridge Academy students, Mr. Tartaglia noted: "We were able to reach over 2,000 people with the play in just a few months.'' Explaining the BRASS programme, he pointed out that it will help address three of the largest social issues attached to alcohol abuse: road traffic accidents, underage drinking, and selling alcohol to intoxicated people.'' ALCOHOL SPECIALIST DGS Alcohol specialist Illustrating the need for a programme to help Bermuda better handle alcohol sales and service, the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (CADA) have brought in a specialist in the area.

Paula Stanghetta, who will be teaching the Bermuda Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service (BRASS) programme, was the guest speaker at CADA's Annual General Meeting yesterday.

Working with local statistics, she pointed out that the death rate due to drunk driving, is higher per capita, in Bermuda, than in the US and Canada.

She also noted that a recent survey by the National Drug Commission revealed that 80 percent of children between 14 and 16 say that it is easy to obtain alcohol and 42 percent of those between 10 and 13 agree.

"While these figures may be frightening,'' she said, "patterns are set early.'' Mrs. Stanghetta also noted that there is "a growing sentiment in this community that the problem of underage drinking needs immediate action''.

"Alcohol is here to stay. We must learn to use it more effectively,'' she stressed.

Outlining the goals of the programme: to discourage heavy drinking, create a climate for abuse prevention; to reduce drinking and driving; attract light drinking customers and reduce underage access, Mrs. Stanghetta pointed out that many benefits will follow.

Among the benefits she noted were a reduction of drunk driving and drink related accidents, as well as vandalism, fights and public complaints.