Farmington High School DECA launches "Spring Forward"

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI (March 15, 2022) – Led by Amatullah Poonawala, Mariam Safirta, and Preya Patel, a group of concerned Farmington High School Students, a countywide initiative to bring awareness about the healthcare dangers associated with drug and alcohol use is being introduced.

The campaign occurs during National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, March 21 thru 27, 2022, and is being promoted by Oakland Community Health Network (OCHN).

“We’ve seen the detrimental effects that substance abuse has on our peers, especially now with the pandemic, which is why we decided to raise awareness on substance abuse,” says Farmington High School Junior, Amatullah Poonawala.

The students at the helm of this public health effort belong to Farmington High School’s Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) group. Their 2022 mission project statement: “The DAA focuses on bringing awareness to teenagers about the negative effects from drugs and alcohol and preventative measures that you can take to keep yourself protected from drugs and alcohol.”

“OCHN is proud to support these young leaders in their work to promote the well-being of fellow students by making sure they understand the negative health impacts of drug and alcohol use,” says OCHN Executive Director and CEO, Dana Lasenby. “In addition to helping them get the word out about this project, OCHN continues to educate people about where, when, and how to access substance use disorder support that leads to recovery.”

A key component of the project is a social media campaign called “Spring Forward.” Students across Oakland County are being asked to take and post a photo of themselves holding a sign or recording the message: “I’m okay being drug and alcohol free now and in the future.” The students are then asked to spring the message forward to at least five of their social media contacts to do the same.

Additionally, the Farmington DECA group is asking peers to join them in wearing the color purple on March 25, 2022, for a county-wide “Purple Out” event advocating for drug and alcohol prevention.

According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH):

• About 2.3 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in 2019 drank alcohol in the past month, and 1.2 million of these adolescents binge drank in that period (2019 NSDUH).
• Approximately 14.5 million people aged 12 or older had an alcohol use disorder (2019 NSDUH).
• Excessive alcohol use can also lead to risk-taking behavior, including driving while impaired. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver daily.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association (SAMHA):

• Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and many others.
• Even though heroin is highly addictive, more people struggle with addiction to prescription pain relievers. Many young people who inject heroin report misuse of prescription opioids before starting to use heroin.
• Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with 68,690 drug overdose deaths between March 2017 and March 2018. More than 46,000 of those deaths involved opioids.

For information about how to join the Farmington High School DECA mission project visit (https://sites.google.com/stu.fpsk12.net/drugalcoholawareness/team).

To access substance use and mental health services provided by OCHN’s service provider network, call 248.464.6363 or visit oaklandchn.org and select the Access / Services tab.

About OCHN

OCHN leads a provider service network that assists approximately 23,000 Oakland County citizens at more than 300 service sites across the county. People who receive public mental health services through OCHN's provider network include those who have an intellectual or developmental disability, mental health challenge, or substance use disorder. The majority of these individuals have Medicaid insurance coverage.

OCHN's goal is to ensure these individuals are aware of and have access to services and supports that will improve their health and quality of life, as well as ensure their engagement in full community participation. Its mission to “inspire hope, empower people, and strengthen communities” reflects an unyielding belief in a "Valuable System for Valued People." Programs and supports provided by OCHN's service network are available at www.oaklandchn.org.

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