The Chicago 'Crystal Breaks' campaign is going well, the Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force reported at its Oct. 17 meeting,
Meth users are coming into centers for help after seeing 'Crystal Breaks' public service announcements, said Fletcher Whitwell of Starcom. 'The word is out there, we're getting great press, and the campaign has been really successful.'
The campaign has also gotten increased discussions of Illinois's crystal problem. 'Meth is complementing a lot of discussions across the state,' said Simone Koehlinger, Director of the Chicago Department of Public Health's Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health.
At the meeting, Jim Pickett of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago said that an evaluation committee is needed to find out how successful the 'Crystal Breaks' campaign has been. After an evaluation, the task force can determine how to move on to the next phase of the campaign. Pickett added that the number of hits on the task force's Web site, www.crystalbreaks.org, has been averaging 500 per day.
'Web site hits are a good indicator, but we want to know more about people's perception of the campaign,' Pickett added.
According to Pickett, although campaign fundraising has gone well, the task force is still $20-30,000 short of the $100,000 in bills 'Crystal Breaks' has amassed so far. 'If we are going to continue this campaign beyond November or December, we are really going to need more money,' he said. 'Certainly, the crystal problem isn't going to stop in December.'
The Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force formed in February, 2005. It launched its media campaign, 'Crystal Breaks,' at Northalsted Market Days in August.