The Respiratory Therapy Club hosted the Think Before You Breathe Substance Awareness Event in Linn Hall on Mar. 24. The event was hosted in collaboration with the nonprofit Area Substance Abuse Council, which provides substance abuse and gambling addiction treatment in the state of Iowa.
The event allowed participants to engage in activities to better understand substances and their effects. Respiratory Therapy Program Director Liliana Hoffnagle stated that her hope for the event was that students would become more aware of the substances featured and that they learn more about certain substances that they were curious about.
Hoffnagle also stated that the members of the club think the event is great because it fits in with previous events that the club has done, such as ones around “vaping and tobacco awareness.
Hoffnagle stated that the respiratory therapy faculty members are part of a monthly “alcohol coalition” that is hosted by ASAC.
ASAC is also part of the advisory board committee for the respiratory therapy program. This event was a “first trial” for the two partners, and they hope “to partner up again for next year.”
The booths featured at the event focused on problem gambling, tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, prescription drugs and opioids. Each ASAC member represented a different substance and displayed the dangers and potential overuse of the substances.
Respiratory therapy student Macy Espe, managed a booth in which participants could spin a wheel and answer questions correctly to win prizes. Espe stated that she was excited to educate people on different respiratory fun facts and that many students had answered the questions correctly.
Jessie Lobb, a prevention specialist at ASAC who also hosted a booth stated that she enjoyed going out and interacting with the community.
Categories: Campus News, News
