The OHTLMC Community Health Committee and GC SAFE partnered to kick off Red Ribbon Week at GCMS in a meaningful way. Together they welcomed Dr. Alex Elswick and Officer Jesse Townsend for a schoolwide assembly about making the choice to live drug-free.
Together the two speakers touched on the science of addiction, the truth about peer pressure, risk factors of addictions, and the reasons experimenting with substances at a young age can affect the brain. The presentation was received well by the students who followed up with lots of questions.
Red Ribbon Week runs October 24 - 31.
Speaker Bios:
Alex Elswick (pictured above) is a tireless advocate for people who use drugs and people with substance use disorders. He currently serves the University of Kentucky as an Assistant Extension Professor for Substance Use Prevention and Recovery. Alex is the co-founder of Voices of Hope, a non-profit Recovery Community Organization and the co-founder of the UK Collegiate Recovery Community. He is a trained researcher and therapist, but most importantly, Alex is himself a person in long-term recovery from the chronic disease of addiction.
Officer Jesse Townsend has been in law enforcement since 2008 and has worked with the Leitchfield Police Department since 2013. In his time in law enforcement, he has served as a substance abuse prevention director and has been assigned to the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force since 2016.