From the Beacon Counseling Team
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness month
In recognition of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month 2023, Beacon’s RAPP and Respect for All teams presented an interactive and engaging way for students to become better aware of this issue. Grateful for the support of Senior Zoe Davies, who did a great job co-facilitating this event!
Fentanyl Awareness: An Overview for Families
It’s an unpleasant topic but unfortunately drug abuse and accidental overdose is a serious problem. And deaths involving illicitly manufactured fentanyl are on the rise.
Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2020 were 18 times over the number in 2013. Rates of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone, which includes fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, increased over 56% from 2019 to 2020. The number of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2020 was more than 18 times the number in 2013. More than 56,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids in 2020. The latest provisional drug overdose death counts through June 2021 suggest an acceleration of overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CDC website, 12/22/22)
You can learn about the dangers of fentanyl at the following sites:
The Real Deal on Fentanyl
CDC Fentanyl
DEA Factsheet
To address the rise in accidental overdoses due to Fentanyl, on December 9th, Dr. Beth Weinstock of BirdieLight presented to Beacon students during Advisory. BirdieLight is a non-profit whose mission is to raise awareness around the dangers of Fentanyl in drugs and to distribute tools to prevent overdoses.
Dr. Weinstock followed up with information for resources which can help prevent accidental ingestion of Fentanyl or prevent a tragedy after ingestion. Below is an excerpt from Dr. Weinstock’s email:
NALOXONE
Here is a link to the health departments virtual naloxone trainings, and once the quick virtual workshop is attended, I think they ship you a free naloxone in the mail: https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/naloxone.page
Also, here is a link to NextDistro who will mail free naloxone as well: https://Nextdistro.org/nyc
Also, I have attached a list of NYC pharmacies that have contracted to pass out emergency naloxone kits for free. Unfortunately it looks like there are only two in Manhattan.
Amudim is an organization that will bring a naloxone training program to a community and then distribute resources.
FENTANYL TEST STRIPS
I am having trouble finding places in NYC that pass these out for free. Here is a link to several restaurants/bars/art galleries/coffee shops etc that hand them out for free to patrons, but this may not help high school students as a lot of them are bars. They can also be purchased on the website DanceSafe, also NextDistro, and they can get five at a time for free on our BirdieLight website.
Another resource is Dosetest which sells Fentanyl test strips.
COUNTERFEIT PILLS
The most common source of Fentanyl overdose is counterfeit pills. Here is a resource for identifying counterfeit pills: https://nextdistro.org/resources-collection/identify-counterfeit-pills
Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Samilia Ghartey-Sam, LCSW
She/her/hers
Beacon School Social Worker and Respect for All Coordinator
Email: sghartey@beaconschool.org
My name is Jin Xie (she/her), and I am the Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP) Coordinator at Beacon. I want to re-introduce myself and share some of the resources I offer to Beacon students and to the community.
I offer weekly, or drop-in, individual and group therapy that is free, confidential, and voluntary for students at Beacon. Additionally, I facilitate workshops on mental health, teen dating violence, and healthy relationships.
If you are interested in learning more about RAPP or have a student who may be interested in RAPP’s services, please reach out to me at jxie@beaconschool.org.
Jin Xie, LMSW
(She/her)
Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP) Coordinator
jxie@beaconschool.org
The Harms of Vaping – A Teen-Focused Presentation for Parents & Students
Did you miss The Harms of Vaping webinar presented on November 30, 2023 by S-HEAL (Students for Health Education, Access and Literacy)? Click here to watch recording.
Beacon PTA Drug Awareness Webinar
Did you miss the drug awareness webinar on October 26th, with guest speaker Dr. Diana Martinez, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who studies addiction?
Click here to view the Drug Awareness Zoom recording.
Counseling
988 Lifeline Emotional support – when you need it for yourself, a friend, or loved one.
Talk to Someone Now: https://988lifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/
CLICK HERE to access Beacon’s guidance counseling department.
CLICK HERE for a list of support services that parents and guardians can use to help get through these tough times.
