Opioid Reenactment to Show the Dangers of Opioids
Opioid Reenactment to Show the Dangers of Opioids
ALBANY, GA – On Thursday, high school students from around Southwest Georgia will be getting up close and personal with the dangers of Opioids.
With Dougherty County being effected by the nationwide Opioid crisis, Dougherty County EMS and the Dougherty Alliance will be hosting an Opioid reenactment event, bringing awareness to high school students.
“It effects all ages. So what we’re trying to do is educate the youth to show them that the dangers so that when they get to these ages they know that the dangers of Opioids are there,” said Sam Allen, Dougherty County EMS Director.
Allen says the goal of this event is to display the harsh reality of Opioid use…
“What we do is…we do a mock situation where some people take Opioids, Heroin, Fentanyl, and they become unresponsive, they quit breathing, we call the ambulance, you see the police car roll in, the ambulance, coroner, crime scene tape goes up, medics performing life saving measures on scene. We want students to understand just how dangerous Opioids are. If they see it firsthand, then hopefully we will make an impact,” said Allen.
Allen says it is extremely common for young people to become addicted to Opioids whether its from peer pressure or being prescribed painkillers by a physician…
Allen says many young people get their first experience with Opioids from the place they should be most safe…home.
And parents should be aware…
“Previously as people were taking heroin as a street drug you saw a different environment they were in… now with Opioids, and now that it’s led into Heroin and Fentanyl you have people that get into their grandparents’ pain medication, parents’ medication, or brothers’ and sisters’. It’s in every household, and can be exposed at any level. So, it doesn’t matter what side of town you going in or the county, it can be exposed at any level,” said Allen.
This is the third time this event has been held.
Opioids isn’t the only thing the students will learn about.
“It’s an educational thing for the students. We have done two previously and they were very power, there’s a strong statement to the students. We have guest speakers that will be there and they will talk to students about the dangers of Opioids and Herioin and Fentanyl. They’ll be talking to them about the Georgia Amnesty Law,” said Allen.
This event will not be open to the general public, only high school students who have agreed to attend… The reenactment will begin at 10 am at the Albany Civic Center.
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