Robin Hatch retiring after 25 years
Robin Hatch is the longest serving prevention coordinator in the state of Utah. Now, after 25 years with Northeastern Counseling, she’s ready to try something new.
“I’ve got things on my bucket list I want to accomplish,” Hatch said. “I love my job, it’s been a wonderful job, I’ve had a lot fun with it, I just have other stuff on my bucket list that I want to do and now seems like the perfect time to do it. I went to school and got a job here, started off at the front desk back in 1997 and I went in to case management a couple of years after that.”
Hatch is a certified prevention specialist and during her time as the prevention coordinator she has championed efforts to reduce substance use and suicide by addressing stigma and promoting collaborative partnerships.
She has held the job of prevention coordinator for the Northeastern District since 2006. During her professional career, Hatch has been awarded the 2014 Excellence Through Community Action Award, the 2015 Merlin F. Goode Prevention Award, the 2019 Duchesne County School District Extra Degree award, the 2019 Governor’s Award, and most recently the Tribal and Rural Opioid Initiative Prevention Partner Award.
Hatch took on the DUI classes in 2003, starting some of the prevention work in that area. Northeastern Counseling has also worked to reduce underage drinking in the area.
“We had high under-age drinking rates when I took the job, we were way above the state average.” said Hatch. “In the past 12 years, we have reduced under-aged drinking by 62%.”
Hatch is one of 13 prevention coordinators in Utah.
“It’s our job to collect the data from our communities and advocate for the services that our areas need,” she said. “Each area of the state is a little different.”
Part of Hatch’s job was to get training for the local distributors on the legal ways of selling alcohol, checking identification and starting up alcohol server and seller classes to the local business.
According to data from the student’s health and risk protection survey, family and community bonding needed to be increased. Programs like Parents Empowered and community-based events were initiated with great success.
Part of Hatch’s job as a prevention coordinator was to make sense of what the data is saying and form a plan best suited to the community.
Hatch is adamant when she says, “We know the best protection we can give our kids is the family bonding, and that’s why we promote a lot of community activities.”
This year’s events held in conjunction with the city of Roosevelt’s Art, Parks, and Recreation’s Winterfest were very well attended and plans are underway to continue more family bonding events through grants.
Catherine Jurado will be taking the reins Feb. 1. Hatch will stay through mid-April to help make the transition go smoothly.
“Catherine is going to do an amazing job,” Hatch said. “I feel very confident in turning this over to Catherine.”
Hatch meanwhile, will be joining her husband in retirement and taking time to enjoy her garden.
