PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Opioid abuse is an issue in every community across the country. People are fighting it on a national, state and local level. Now, local leaders in Pinellas County are spreading the message to kids, hoping to prevent the problem from getting worse.
According to the Pinellas County Opioid Task Force, one county resident dies every 14 hours from an opioid-related overdose.
That's why the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast have teamed up with Pinellas County schools and the sheriff's office to provide critical education to kids. It will give them the knowledge and the tools they need to understand the dangers of opioid use.
Freddy Williams is the CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast. He says they specifically chose 7th graders because they felt like that was an age where the kids need this information.
"They're starting to develop their hormones, and they're developing as young adults in many ways. They're trying to find ways that they can have a sense of usefulness, and feel that they can belong, and feel that they're competent...even if that means that it's negative or non pro-social behavior," said Williams
"You have to start with the kids and help them to know what they could potentially be dealing with and the risks of that and hopefully give them the tools that they need to make healthier choices," said Mark Sofia, the head of Prevention Services with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast.
The program is taught during school, and it covers how to resist opioids. It also educates kids on how to respond in an emergency situation, because even if they don't use opioids, they may come across a situation with someone who does, and they need to know what to do.