Thank you for attending!

Opioid Education with TruthPharm
at Maine-Endwell Schools

---

On Tuesday, March 27, 2018, over a 100 people came together in the Maine-Endwell Middle School auditorium to talk about the Heroin Epidemic, discover how to spot new addicts, and how to handle Naloxone, the life-saving drug that can reverse a deadly over-dose.

We began the evening with two simultaneous events:

• Shawn has a Secret - A program designed for parents, which takes them through a mock teenage bedroom.  It allows them to discover the world of a teenager secretly struggling with addiction.
  
• Frank Discussion about Substance Abuse - A teenager-only group discussion led by TruthPharm executive director, Aleixs Pleus.  It gave teens a safe, non-judgemental forum in which to speak openly about the struggles they have everyday with substance abuse.
  

Once those two programs ended, we all came together for Narcan Training.

Narcan (formally known as Naloxone) is an amazing, life-saving drug that literally brings someone back from the verge of over-dose death.  Many years ago, Narcan was only available as an injection, which made it much more complicated to administer.  However, today, most Narcan is delivered through a nasal spray, that virtually anyone can administer. 

While the application is easy, knowing when to administer, and what to expect is crucial.  That's why Alexis Pleus led our group through a science-based lecture and followed it up with an informative question & answer period.  Photos from the lecture follow.

Left:  Jason Van Fossen - M-E Superintendent
Center: Aleixs Pleus - TruthPharm Executive Director
Right: Jason Shaw - Broome County Legislator
​

Thank You to our Sponsors:

Special thanks to M-E Superintendent, Jason VanFossen and M-E Communications Director, Brenda Potsko, for helping me organize this important event.  Each one of them added insights, expertise, and resources that were crucial to the success of this event.  We hope to do something similar but different again next year.