Council Column
65TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
NCPG members and staff recently presented a paper at the 65th National Conference of the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) held in March in Portland, Ore. The theme of the conference was "Transforming Governance in a World Without Boundaries," and the presentations focused on the role of government and nonprofits to manage the widespread networks of organizations that affect lives of citizens in an increasingly complex and fast-changing world. The presentation, one of the first of its kind at an ASPA conference, was titled "State-Sponsored Gambling: Addressing Problem Gambling and Maximizing Revenue" and was coordinated by Tim Christensen of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The presentation was one of 10 featured as a "must see" out of more than 100 presentations. NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte, Jeff Marotta of the Oregon Department of Human Services and Carole Bono of the Oregon Lottery also participated.
NATIONAL PROBLEM GAMBLING AWARENESS WEEK 2004
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) distributed more than 2,500 free resource kits during National Problem Gambling Awareness Week, which was held March 8-14. In partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Lottery, this second annual campaign included a 30-second TV spot produced specifically for NPGAW, which was available for nationwide use as paid media or a public service announcement (PSA). The spot was run during the week in at least nine states across the nation with a combined population in excess of 75 million residents. A full slate of public awareness materials also were developed and distributed, including a series of radio scripts; camera ready, customizable brochure, poster and print ad; and a press release, media advisory and sample proclamations. General awareness materials were directed to the public audience, while another set of materials were targeted at educating health care professionals on the need to screen patients for gambling problems. A key component of this outreach effort was a direct mail flier with the message "Chances are one of the patients you'll see today has a gambling problem." In Nevada, the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling sent these fliers to more than 1,400 primary care physicians and medical clinics throughout the state. The council plans to follow up with additional information about problem gambling throughout the year.
National Problem Gambling Awareness Week 2004 is an ongoing campaign, and anyone with an interest in promoting awareness of problem gambling can visit theWeb site. Visitors to the Web site can view the PSA and access additional problem gambling information. All written materials have been made available free of charge in standard electronic formats to encourage widespread use.
