IUP, Duquesne, Robert Morris to bolster addiction prevention programs

When students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania return to class Jan. 21, they will be among the first in the state to benefit from a new program designed to prevent opioid abuse.

IUP, which received a $99,888 state grant to underwrite the effort, was among 13 colleges and universities selected to be part of a $1 million state program aimed at battling the opioid epidemic and heroin addiction on campuses. Other Western Pennsylvania schools participating in the program include Robert Morris University in Moon, which received a $ 83,978 grant, and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, which received $78,305.

Erick Lauber, director of IUP’s Mid-Atlantic Institute for Research and Training in Community and Behavioral Health, said IUP is prepared to bump up its efforts immediately.

“We will launch the ‘Protect Your Brain’ campaign that targets students, faculty and staff. We will be working with peer educators who do programs in residence halls and fraternities and bringing in certified family recovery experts to work with students,” Lauber said. “We found out in a recent survey that quite a few students have someone in their family who is battling addiction and we want to reach out to them and give them some support.”

He said the program is taking a positive approach to addiction prevention.

“Our campus is in the middle of one of the counties directly affected by this epidemic and we have found that scare tactics don’t work,” he said.

Lauber said he and Ann Sesti, the longtime director of drug and alcohol prevention programs at IUP, collaborated on the grant application.

Gov. Tom Wolf, who announced the awards Wednesday, said the $1 million program is being underwritten through the $55.9 million federal grant the state received to bolster its response to the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic.

“We consistently attack the state’s opioid crisis from all angles, and this grant will enable additional focus on an integral part of our work – prevention. Educating college students on the risk of opioid use and training institutions of higher learning on how to administer naloxone are two ways we can save lives and lessen the impact of this crisis,” Wolf said.

A spokesman for Robert Morris University said much of its proposed effort is still in the planning phase.

“We will use the funds to bolster education, awareness and accessibility of available resources, and provide student support,” spokesman Jonathan Potts said. “Some of what we produce, such as a website — online radio program, and educational videos — will be available to the community. We also will develop opioid abuse prevention training and education to faculty, staff and students.”