Events Encourage Spring Break Safety

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 3, 2011)  Spring break is rapidly approaching for University of Kentucky students anxiously awaiting a week off from school to travel or simply unwind. While spring break is a fun and relaxing time, students should remember it is also important to stay safe. University Health Service (UHS) along with Student Wellness Ambassadors (SWA) will host the third consecutive Spring Break Awareness Week March 7-9.

According to UK Health Education Coordinator and Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Fadyia Lowe, college students tend participate in high-risk behavior over spring break. Spring Break Awareness Week will give students tools to make better decisions. Students will receive travel kits to pack in their suitcases to serve as a reminder to stay safe during spring break. Items in the kit include condoms, sunscreen, and a blood alcohol information card.

Four free events will be held with information, activities, and trivia games to educate students on skin safety, safe sex, and alcohol and prescription drug abuse.

The events include: "Hydration Station" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, March 7, in front of the William T. Young Library; "Fuel Your Bod" from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, in the Johnson Center lobby; and, "Grab Bag Station" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, in the White Hall Classroom Building.

The final event during Spring Break Awareness Week will be, "The Truth about Prescription Drug Abuse," presented  by Jared Combs, Pharm.D., from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, in Memorial Hall. Combs, a pharmacist and recovering drug addict, will share his story of addiction and journey to recovery with students and guests. He will talk about how his life has been changed due to his past decisions.

Combs will reveal very staggering statistics about prescription drug abuse in college students. This event is sponsored by UHS and the College of Pharmacy's Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists (KSHP) student chapter. The College of Pharmacy students will be giving out prizes and host a trivia game at the end of this event to test students on what they have learned.

"The goal of Spring Break Awareness Week is to empower students to stay safe by providing them with the necessary information and resources they may need," said Jermey Taylor, student wellness ambassador. "During this week, we will provide information about alcohol and drug use, sexual health, and skin care. Each of these are areas where college students are extremely vulnerable during spring break."

This is the third consecutive year UHS has partnered with SWA to bring Spring Break Awareness Week to campus. Both realized college students needed to be aware of the peer pressure to participate in high-risk behavior. Both UHS and SWA have seen a high rate of students mixing prescription drugs with alcohol and that the deadly behavior needed to be put to a stop.

"The week is important for students to get a game plan ahead of time in order to make better decisions and to also show them that they are not invincible and anything can happen," said Lowe.

For more information on Spring Break Awareness Week, contact Fadyia Lowe at Fadyia.Lowe@uky.edu or Nicole Hayes, president of Student Wellness Ambassadors at nicole.hayes@uky.edu. For more information on the Student Wellness Ambassadors or University Health Services, visit http://q-authority.org/ (SWA) and http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/uhs/ (UHS).