A Child’s Lesson on Drug Poisoning: "My Finger Can Stop This!"
PENSACOLA, Fla., July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The opioid epidemic is one of the most serious public health issues of our time. It has worsened with fentanyl. EMED Logic, Inc., and its curriculum partner Synaptic Youth, are sounding a call for a revolutionary effort in early drug abuse education. Russell Copelan, MD, the creator of the novel project, and who trained in neurosurgery and emergency psychiatry, states, "This is more than another shrill cry to just do something. It is backed by years of successful trials and supported by statements of children that seem very wise."
Following the strategies of the U.S Surgeon General’s "Promoting Healthy Children," Synaptic Youth© uses a novel, evidence-informed program employing a real human brain. Following parental consent, 10 to 20 children join a school or library class. Each youngster takes a turn to hold the brain, gently explore its shape, and connect verbally with other classmates. During the guided show-and-tell tour, brain areas that control running, blinking, and talking are shown guaranteeing a wealth of early spellbound reactions.
The important brain stem, containing a diamond-shaped pit that automatically controls breathing, is then highlighted. It is here that students learn where opioids, including fentanyl, attack and can kill. One school child excitedly said, "Dr. Copelan let me touch the brain piece where I breathe." Many months later, in follow-up surveys to parents, these children regularly remember where they put their fingers on that extraordinary day. "It is like tying a bow around their finger so they can retain this information. Your finger can stop this abuse!" Many students in countless classes around the country wonderfully echo, "My finger can stop this!"
Recent articles of tragic stories have recorded the increasing and devastating impacts of fentanyl-laced drugs that are claiming tens of thousands of lives across our country. Synaptic Youth© breaks through the status quo of limited public-safety prevention and paralyzed policy legislation and applies a pioneering 2-hour curriculum for elementary and middle schoolers. Please contact Dr. Copelan for program availability. There is no cost to children and parents.
About EMED Logic©, Inc., aka EMED International©: 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the development of and training in equitable, evidence-informed suicide and violence assessments. (www.emedtoday.org; www.synapticyouth.org; Tel: 9702104504).
Russell Copelan, MD
9702104504
341035@email4pr.com
SOURCE eMEDLogic, Inc.
