Pubdate: Wed, 23 Jul 2003
Source: Alliston Herald (CN ON)
Copyright: 2003 Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing
Contact:  http://www.simcoe.com/sc/alliston/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2224
Author: Robert Todd
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

HOSPITAL LAUNCHED DRUG PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS

The best way to solve a problem is to make sure it doesn't happen at all.

This was the acknowledgement made by Stevenson Memorial Hospital when it 
ran a drug abuse program from 1985 to the late 1990s for school kids.

While SMH, like most hospitals, is generally looked upon as a place to care 
for the sick, students were shown "the flip side of taking drugs," as the 
hospital's former director of volunteer services, Grace Dunn, described in 
a news release at the time.

As part of the Values, Influence and Peers (VIP) program run by local 
schools and police departments, students were given a tour of the hospital. 
That tour included a simulated drug overdose accompanied by dialogue from 
the emergency, pharmacy and ambulance departments.

The program began in December 1985 with 21 Grade 6 students from Alliston 
Union Public School. By September 1990, 500 students from 10 different 
schools had taken the tour.

When they were finished, teachers and students were asked to fill out an 
evaluation. It asked for the group's opinion on different aspects of the 
tour, with a mark from one to five.

All but two of the thirteen samplings kept on file got straight A's. A form 
filled out in 1993 by teachers D. Pillar and C. Jackson from Tosorontio 
Public School are typical of the high praise the hospital received for the 
tour.

They wrote, 'The emergency room presentation is the ultimate! If a picture 
is worth 1,000 words, the hospital tour is a never ending story that just 
gets better every year and will stay with the children forever.'

Unfortunately, the tour got too good and the high volume of students 
started to cramp the busy hospital, said Nancy Mann, current head of 
volunteer services at SMH. In 1998 or 1999 the hospital was forced to 
discontinue the school tour program.

"We often had to clear the kids," when an emergency came in, said Mann. "We 
didn't feel we were being effective with the whole thing."

While the students now get the drug abuse program solely from the OPP, Mann 
stressed the importance of the program to the hospital.

"It was part of our history," she said. "We tried to tailor it to the age 
group and the interest."

As part of the celebration of that history and other events in the 
community hospital's 75 years, a special event is planned for Aug. 30 and 
everyone is invited to attend.

It will include a garden party, games and competitions including celebrity 
softball games, refreshments and will conclude with a spectacular fireworks 
display.

All the fun will be held on the hospital grounds and Riverdale Park 
starting at 2 p.m.
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MAP posted-by: Jackl