La Isla Magazine is on the side of our beloved Hispanic Community and for this reason, we focus on providing information on projects and initiatives with a social impact in the community. Today, we will address a major issue facing Beaufort County due to high alcohol and opioid drug use.
The Beaufort County Department of Alcohol and Drug Abuse has created the so-called Mariposa Project, whose main objective is to spread the prevention of alcohol and drug use in Spanish. Beaufort County intends to consolidate wide visibility of the programs they have available, promoting the participation of youth and adults of the Hispanic Community. Yolanda López is the facilitator and bilingual prevention specialist in charge of this project, which takes place in schools and community centers. One of the greatest consequences of this social problem, which unfortunately is affecting a large number of Hispanic families, is reflected in transit accidents. As we well know, driving under the influence of alcohol or any drug represents a great danger that brings with it serious legal inconveniences. Therefore, the efforts of Yolanda and the Mariposa Project focus on providing adequate training on the laws that penalize driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, in order to prevent and reduce risky behaviors related to these.
In recent years, Beaufort County has seen an increase in drug addiction and overdose deaths due to the illegal use of opioid medications. In this sense, Yolanda calls for the community to activate important prevention mechanisms that contribute to this problem. First of all, it recommends that we do not dispose of prescription opioid medications that are no longer being used in our regular household garbage. Such medications must be disposed of in the drop boxes located at the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office to prevent misuse. Second, it reminds us of the action protocol covered by the Good Samaritan Law, which we can activate if we are faced with someone experiencing an opioid overdose: “Using Narcan nasal spray on someone is simple. Call 911. Then lay him on his back, take out your Narcan, place it in the person’s nostril, press the depressor, and then lay him on his side. In about four minutes the person should begin to return to normal. Otherwise, give another dose of Narcan, if you have one, in the opposite nostril. Emergency personnel will also guide you through the use of Narcan while on the phone.”
For more information, we invite you to contact the Beaufort County Department of Drug and Alcohol Abuse at 843-255-6000 or 843-255-6020 for Bluffton and Hilton Head. You can also find information on the “Beaufort County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department” Facebook page.
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