Our Efforts

Front Row, Left to Right: SFC Doug Karnitz, Washington National Guard; Scott Peterson, Office of the Attorney General; Denise Fitch, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Mary Segawa, Liquor Control Board; Michael Langer, RUaD Coalition Co-chair, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery; Sharon Foster, RUaD Coalition Co-chair, Liquor Control Board; Earlyse Swift, RUaD Coalition Manager, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery; Charee Boulter, College Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention; Cristal Connelly, CSAP Prevention Fellow.
Back Row, Left to Right: Rusty Fallis, Office of Attorney General, Brian Dirks, Office of Lt. Governor; David Albert, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery; Mike Hickman, Educational Service District 113; Ramona Leber, Department of Commerce; Paul Davis, Department of Health, Holli Spanski, Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators; Lt. Dale Alexander, Washington State Patrol; Cpt. Wes Rethwill, Washington State Patrol.

The Washington State Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking (RUaD) coalition features membership from 27 different state agencies and statewide organizations. 

Washington State has provided services using federal Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) funding since 1998.  During that time, the RUaD coalition was formed.  The group meets monthly. 

The RUaD coalition was formed upon the return of a seven-member team from the 2005 National Underage Drinking Prevention Meeting.  Leaders of key Washington agencies participated in the meeting and agreed to work together to combat underage drinking in the state.  DBHR, as the administrator of the EUDL grant, then brought the agencies together as a coalition and built operation and support of the coalition into its ongoing efforts to prevent underage drinking.  The co-chair relationship with Liquor Control Board was established to strengthen ties between the agencies on the coalition.

The coalition has co-chairs.  One co-chair is from the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery – the state’s designated single state agency for federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant and the administrator of the state Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) block grant.  The other co-chair is the chairperson of the state’s Liquor Control Board, the state’s designated alcohol control agency.

The coalition has produced well-designed media campaigns and its efforts have supported substantial changes to state policies and laws.