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Congratulations to our “You’re Not Alone” (YNA) Student Ambassadors for completing their national certification as teen mental health advocates. They are now trained to recognize the needs of their peers and direct them to trusted and professional adults for support. Students from Eustis, Leesburg, Mount Dora, Tavares, Umatilla, and South Lake High Schools were inducted as YNA leaders this year and recognized for their commitment. They will now lead the way to developing mental health clubs on school campus, promoting campaigns to break stigma, and directing their peers to resources on campus. Special thanks to Lake County Schools for investing in our youth, Dr. Kristine Landry for her phenomenal guidance and leadership, all of our high school Principals, Mental Health Liaisons, and parents for their care and trust. More importantly, special thanks to LAKE MINNEOLA HIGH students and staff for being the TRAILBLAZERS in the district to spearhead the entire initiative! This is truly a huge success for all!

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During the 2020 - 2021 school year, Be Free Lake, working under the direction of Lake County Schools, expanded the You're Not Alone program to include all Lake County high schools: Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares, Umatilla, Leesburg, East Ridge, Lake Minneola, and South Lake. Well over 200 high school students have now completed this program and have become advocates for mental wellness at their schools. We are so proud of these students and the work they are doing to promote mental wellness in their schools!

The video below was created by Mental Health Liaison to Tavares High School, Mrs. Charisa Watson, and our Tavares High School Student Ambassadors:

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NATIONAL UPDATES: THE CONSEQUENCES OF COVID-19 ON THE OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC: OVERDOSES ARE INCREASING!
 
2020 has been strongly impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic which has affected our global, national, state, and local communities. We are currently seeing a rise in substance use and opioid deaths due to unforeseen isolation and social restrictions including those related to recovery, treatment, and support. The situation has been described as an "epidemic within an epidemic" or a “collision of crises”, as states begin to strategize on how they will combat the compounding COVID and Opioid Epidemic. The most recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on August 14, 2020 indicated that "Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation".The CDC also released a report earlier this year indicating a 4.8% increase in drug overdose deaths in 2019, with a record 70,980 deaths. The current circumstances, especially unemployment due to mass layoffs, has drastically caused this number to rise as of Q2 2020. As of March 2020, in comparison to March 2019, there was a 18% increase, followed by a 29% increase in April and a 42% increase in May.

The State of Mental Health in America Report:

Read more here
  
A message from the FDA:“Even during this global pandemic, we have continued to prioritize addressing the opioid crisis,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. “Today’s action can help further raise awareness about this potentially life-saving treatment for individuals that may be at greater risk of an overdose and those in the community most likely to observe an overdose. We will use all available tools to address this crisis, and we know efforts to increase access to naloxone have the potential to put an important medicine for combatting opioid overdose and death in the hands of those who need it most – those at increased risk of opioid overdose and their friends and family.”The FDA is now requiring that recommendations for prescribing naloxone with opioid prescriptions, as well as benzodiazepines, and medicine to treat OUD (i.e. buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone), be added to the prescribing information on the label. The FDA is further working to increase availability of naloxone nationwide. STATE, REGIONAL & LOCAL UPDATES
 
The following figures were provided by Debra Babin, M.P.H., North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and highlight data in Florida related to suspected overdoses, fatal overdoses, and Narcan administrations. From January 1 – June 30, 2020 there were12,674 Suspected ODs, 771 Fatal ODs, and 6,895 Narcan Administrations reported.

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