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Mt. Lebanon seeks Safe Communities America accreditation

By Harry Funk 3 min read
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Prescription drug overdoses often top today’s lists of threats to communities’ safety.

“This seems to be a hot-button topic all over the country,” police Chief Aaron Lauth told Mt. Lebanon commissioners at their March 28 discussion session.

The municipality, though, was ahead of the curve in addressing the issue: In September 2013, a drop-off box for unwanted and expired pharmaceuticals was installed in the public safety building.

Mt. Lebanon now is looking to stay ahead by seeking accreditation from Safe Communities America, a National Safety Council program.

“There are a lot of safety-type programs that exist in our community already,” Lauth said. “What’s the next step? Where do we go from there? How do we make it better? That would be part of this accreditation.”

A collaborative group has been meeting each month since December – with representation from emergency services, St. Clair Hospital, the municipality, school district and social service organizations – to identify safety needs further.

Along with the drug issue, Lauth said that others meriting attention include motor vehicle and pedestrian safety, child safety, workplace safety, wellness, violence and suicide prevention, and emergency preparedness.

“We’re also looking at falls, especially with our elderly population in our nursing homes and in private residences, as well,” he said, explaining that such accidents account for a large number of incidents to which Medical Rescue Team South Authority responds.

The collaborative group also seeks to consolidate various safety-oriented efforts.

“Everybody’s out there sort of doing their own thing, if you will,” municipal manager Keith McGill explained. “This will put all that information in one document, so, hopefully, we’ll have a better understanding of all the efforts that are being undertaken by the different agencies involved.”

Emerging from the group’s March meeting was a mission statement:

“The municipality of Mt. Lebanon Safe Communities America coalition is committed to improving the health, safety and quality of life for residents and the general public in conjunction with all community partners through the comprehensive, proactive implementation of programs designed to create a safe community.”

In September, resident Teresa Cole, regional safety director for Cincinnati-based First Student school transportation provider, contacted Commissioner Steve Silverman to recommend that Mt. Lebanon seek Safe Communities America accreditation. She is active with the National Safety Council and assisted the city of New Castle in its accreditation process, Lauth said.

Mt. Lebanon has taken the first step by submitting a letter of intent to file an application to the National Safety Council, McGill said. The application carries a $1,500 fee, but First Student has covered the cost.

“Once this is in place, it potentially could help us in terms of grant applications and those types of things for different programs that we would be looking at,” McGill told commissioners. “So I think it’s going to be very beneficial to the municipality.”

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