Amid a rise in fatal fentanyl overdoses, a San Diego County task force convened to identify substance abuse prevention solutions for local youths. It released a report Monday outlining its recommendations for drug prevention programs at schools.
The report entitled "School-based Interventions for Substance Use and Overdose Prevention" was drafted by the San Diego County Substance Use and Overdose Prevention Taskforce, comprised of members of various entities including the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, San Diego County Office of Education, California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Center for Community Research.
Learn more about the impact of the fentanyl crisis on local communities in NBC 7’s in-depth project "Poison Pill: San Diego's Battle With the Fentanyl Crisis." Watch here.
With the goals in mind of preventing juvenile substance use and overdoses, the working group behind the report outlined five prevention programs identified for elementary, middle and high school populations: Positive Action, Project Towards No Drug Abuse, LifeSkills Training, DARE's Keepin' It Real, and Project Alert.
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The programs touch on various topics, including drug use and decision-making skills that could help youths avoid behaviors that put them at risk for substance use.
Three other programs the report states may be instrumental to prevention efforts include:
- Operation Prevention San Diego, a free DEA program with resources for educators that the report states "integrate seamlessly into classroom instruction." The program addresses the impacts of drugs to the brain and body. The program is available to schools upon request or at operationprevention.com
- I Choose My Future, a program offered by the San Diego County Office of Education that highlights substance abuse dangers and impacts at the individual, family, school, city, nation and global levels
- A recommendation that all schools serving grades 6-12 have adequate supplies of naloxone, which the report states "has demonstrated effectiveness in reversing opioid overdoses and is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a successful strategy for preventing an opioid overdose"
The task force says the recommendations have already been adopted by around two dozen San Diego County schools.
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"It's critical that we educate our youth through compelling and effective curriculum, giving them the tools they need to stay healthy and make decisions that can literally save their lives," San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement.
