An EMT and student at CU wants to be sober and on-hand at frat parties to watch for alcohol toxicity. I'm not sure what I think. On the one hand, it is better than nothing, on the other hand, wouldn't it be better to end the epidemic of "drink 'till you die" thinking on campus?
Pre-Med Students To Watch Drinkers At Frat Parties : Students Trained In Emergency Medicine To Help Those With Alcohol Poisoning: February 2, 2005
BOULDER, Colo. -- A University of Colorado pre-med student is taking an innovative approach to preventing deaths from binge drinking.
Anthony Rossi and a handful of other trained undergraduates will be available starting in the next couple of weeks to staff fraternity parties. They'll be there to help students who may be suffering from alcohol poisoning or drug overdoses. The pilot program is called Student Emergency Medical Services and will be a fully licensed collection of volunteer CU students with certifications in emergency medicine.
CU's vice chancellor for student affairs, Ron Stump, said the organization runs parallel to administration efforts to educate students about recognizing dangerous situations.
The motivation for Rossi, a founding chaplain of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity's (Boulder Colony), is preventing a repeat of what happened on Sept. 16, when CU freshman Lynn Gordon Bailey died of alcohol poisoning at the Chi Psi fraternity.
Bailey died with a blood-alchol level of .328 percent after attending a fraternity initiation where pledges were driven up the mountain and told to drink large amounts of wine and whiskey. When he passed out later that evening, his fraternity brothers scrawled sexual and racial slurs all over his body.
"When Gordie died they thought, 'Oh, he just passed out,"' Rossi told The Denver Post. "If you had somebody there that just saw this and checked his breathing, checked his pulse, they would have noticed that this guy was in a really dangerous place."
Student Emergency Medical Services also plans to train regular Greek members about basic warning signs of alcohol poisoning. While campuses around the country offer similar programs, it is believed that CU's Student Emergency Medical Services would be the first group to target parties.
Rossi said the organization is still finalizing contracts, but party hosts would most likely be asked to sign a waiver clearing Student Emergency Medical Services of liability. Once on the job, volunteers would provide a sober presence -- acting as first responders between partyers and emergency personnel.
"We are not at all there to police a party," Rossi said. "We are not there to tell people what to do. ... We are there to simply recognize (problems) and save lives." For more information on the student emergency medical services program, e-mail semsorganization@yahoo.com.
I still don't know what I think. I am not sure of the connection between parties and alcohol deaths, but I suppose this is a start.
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol
depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing,
the heartbeat and the gag reflex that prevents choking. A fatal dose of
alcohol will eventually stop these functions. After the victim stops
drinking, the heart keeps beating, and the alcohol in the stomach
continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate through the system.
The victim may experience the following:
- Mental confusion, stupor, coma, unable to rouse the person
- No response to pinching the skin
- Vomiting while sleeping or unresponsive
- Seizures
- Slowed breathing (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
- Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
- Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness
Alcohol Poisoning Requires Immediate Medical Attention
Alcohol Poisoning Cannot Be Reversed By:
- Drinking black coffee
- Taking a cold bath or shower
- Walking it off
The victim must have immediate medical attention.
Call 911, stay with the victim to prevent him choking on vomit, and tell emergency personnel how much alcohol the victim drank.
These Children Died of Alcohol Overdose, So Their Parents Started Foundations:
Taylor Webster's memorial foundation. Taylor died of alcohol poisoning at age 19-- Now his family and friends are working to get the message out, telling their stories and providing information on alcohol poisoning and the signs and symtoms of alcohol poisoning in hopes that lives will be saved.
Bradley McCue's memorial foundation. On November 5, 1998 Bradley turned 21. . He celebrated his birthday in a way that has become increasingly popular, drinking "his age in shots". That amount of alcohol was lethal and he died that night of alcohol poisoning.
Samantha Spady's memorial foundation. A 19-year old student at Colorado State University, Spady died of alcohol poisoning on September 5, 2004, "an unintentional tragedy." The Spadys say the SAM [Student Alcohol Management] Spady Foundation will develop peer-to-peer counseling and other services meant to reduce the risk of alcohol abuse.
Gordie Bailey's memorial foundation Mission: to provide today’s youth with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, and through education and promotion of self worth prevent alcohol poisoning, binge drinking and hazing.
Kimberly Ostien's memorial foundation: "With binge drinking on the rise, we feel it necessary to get the message out on the danger of alcohol, especially excessive alcohol consumed in a short period of time. Students are educated on drugs and alcohol but they will continue to experiment no matter what. We want to educate on what to do when a friend falls down or passes out from drinking. Often we want to put that person to bed to sleep it off and that is when the trouble can begin." The card lists the information, above.
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