Events
Educating the Educators
The GPF Foundation was invited to present our educational programming at a conference at Northern Illinois University involving health department professionals representing 17 counties in Illinois. Frey Hoffman, program manager, conducted harm reduction training and shared insights and background on the Foundation. The conference was organized by the Lake County Department of Health and hosted by the Regional Substance Use Prevention Integration Center.
High School Education Program Gaining Steam
Over the last few months our Harm Reduction training sessions at high schools really picked up. To date, hundreds of juniors and seniors at a Chicago high school on the southwest side have participated in a training session led by GPF Foundation Fellows. When completed we anticipate more than 800 students will have been educated on the dangers of recreational drug use and adulteration. In other news, the Foundation has partnered with the Assistant Director and Social Services Coordinator at Highland Park Public Library to develop a Spanish-language educational outreach to broaden the audiences we plan to serve.
Harm Reduction Community Event a Big Success
For the first time since the advent of the pandemic the GPF Foundation held an in-person public event for college and high school students, and their families, to increase understanding of harm reduction regarding recreational drug use.
On March 22 at Madame ZuZu’s Teashop about 25 students were led in a discussion by Belle Tseitlin, a founding GPFF Intern, and currently a PhD. candidate in Clinical Psychology at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. The students also engaged in discussion groups to review what they learned, applying it to their own circumstances.
Recreational drugs, including MDMA (molly/ecstasy), purchased from dealers or online are commonly adulterated with potentially fatal drugs including fentanyl. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that illegal use of fentanyl kills 150 people daily, and in 2022 alone more than 110,000 died from fentanyl.
The GPF Foundation’s educational efforts are supported by a grant from the Highland Park Community Foundation.
News
Full-Code Reaches a Significant Milestone (July 2024) - Usage of the medical training program we developed with Rosalind Franklin University, and available globally on the Full-Code app, continues to climb. In June, case use reached approximately 200,000 by medical professionals. The Full-Code app is used in the United States by medical school students, physicians, and emergency room personnel. A sizable number of uses have occurred in Europe and Asia, as well.
En Espanol Training Program is Underway (July 2024) - The Foundation has partnered with the Highland Park Public Library to develop a Spanish-language educational outreach to broaden the audiences we plan to serve. The GPF Foundation conducted sessions with about 200 freshmen during summer school this month. This means approximately 500 high school students have benefited from our harm reduction outreach.
First-Responders Training Expands (July 2024) - Last year the GPF Foundation launched its First Responders Educational Initiative with the Glencoe Public Safety Department and Mundelein Police Department. Already in 2024 we presented to the Fremont Township and Chicago, IL Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). All told, about 75 members participated in the trainings conducted by Fellows Brianna Lopez, a Clinical Counseling Masters student and Zabrina Abolarin, a Pharmacy Student, at Rosalind Franklin University. All told, about 20 members participated in the training conducted by Fellow Brianna Lopez, a Clinical Counseling Masters student at Rosalind Franklin University.
Partnership with University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Full Swing (March 2024) - Students at the Whitewater campus of the University of Wisconsin, enrolled in the video gaming degree program, are making progress on the development of an educational video game. Student scriptwriters, graphic designers, musicians, and coders are building the game (working title – Blind Spot). The strategy behind this project is to build on the success of the Full-Code medical stimulation case to reach as wide an audience of young adults as possible. The first release of the game is expected to be ready late summer 2024.
First Responders Training Educates Glencoe Public Safety Officers on Substance-Related Emergencies (July 2023) - The GPF Foundation launched an educational campaign for first responders to help them best identify and provide assistance for people experiencing substance-related emergencies.
Developed in conjunction with the Foundation and Dr. Ben Feinzimer, Physician Lead - Skokie Hospital and EMS Medical Director - Highland Park Hospital, and Emily Mysel, Senior Program Manager - Family Service of Glencoe, the training program ensures that basic knowledge of the symptoms of adulterated recreational drug ingestion and critical next steps are accessible to public safety officers who most frequently encounter such medical emergencies.
During the initial training session, Feinzimer repeatedly implored the Glencoe officers to deal with people in distress as “patients, not criminals.” He provided guidance on how to recognize the differences in cases they might experience whether patients have ingested stimulants (MDMA or other psychedelics) or depressants (opioids).
A second training session was led by GPFF Fellow Zabrina Abolarin, a third-year Doctor of Pharmacy student at Rosalind Franklin University. All told, 20 officers participated in the training sessions.
Pediatric Annals Publishes Article on Adolescent Psychostimulant Use (July 2023) - A special issue of the medical journal, Pediatric Annals, recently published an article that gives pediatric and adolescent health care providers with practical knowledge to effectively perform substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment to help reduce drug-related morbidity and mortality among adolescents. This article was sponsored by GPFF.
The article was authored by Lexie Kessler, a former GPFF Fellow and now a member of the Board of Directors and a MD candidate at Rosalind Franklin University; Jesse Bahrke, a former fellow and PhD candidate at Rosalind Franklin University; Dr. Kaitlyn Kunstman, Northwestern University, and an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Also contributing to the article was Dr. Austin Hopkins, a Resident Physician – Psychiatry, McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University.
Ensuring that medical professionals are fully informed is a key pillar of the GPF Foundation’s Medical Initiative.
New Initiative on Diagnostic Drop-Down Menu Development (November 2022) - GPFF is collaborating with medical partners to develop a lifesaving decision-making tool for frontline healthcare personnel. Designed to interface with patient intake technology, a customized drop-down menu will guide ER staff, general physicians, and behavioral health providers through accurate diagnosis and appropriate response to a medical emergency precipitated by recreational drug adulteration.
Community Outreach & Education Growing (November 2022) - Hundreds of young adults ages 18-25 have benefited from GPFF’s educational presentations. Program assessment confirms an average 75% new knowledge acquisition rate. GPFF is working to extend its presentations to high school students. At the same time, the Foundation is in the early stages of a collaboration with Lurie Children’s Hospital on a potential project to educate more adolescents and young adults with life-saving information on substance use.
First Responders Training Program (November 2022) - An emerging alliance between GPFF and Lake County Chiefs of Police Association (LCCPA) will ensure that basic knowledge of the symptomology of adulterated recreational drug ingestion and critical next steps are accessible to those who most frequently encounter such medical emergencies. A partnership will provide customized training to Lake County police officers, furthering LCCPA’s mission to advance their professional development and GPFF’s to save lives through education and awareness.
WGN-TV Spotlights the Full Code Online Simulation Tool (July 2022) - Over several weeks the Foundation worked with WGN to create an exceptional story on how the Foundation’s module on Full-Code is helping to address a medical blind spot in diagnosing and treating patients experiencing medical emergencies due to use of MDMA (ecstasy/molly).
Co-authored by Rosalind Franklin University’s Dr. Jim Carlson (Vice President, Interprofessional Education and Simulation) and Dr. Robin Dyer (Instructor, Internal Medicine), the simulation guides clinical physicians and medical students through a real-life practice scenario. Use of the Full-Code module helps providers accurately diagnose and treat patients experiencing adverse reactions from psychostimulant use.
Appearing on the WGN newscast were Dr. Carlson with first-year Physicians Assistants; Nancy and Ross Friedman; and Dr. Ron Himmelman of Northshore University HealthSystem. The segment was broadcast twice on June 27 and was viewed by 224,140 households. See it now here.
Results on Our Educational Programs Shared at Two Events (July 2022) - A study that tested the effectiveness of a GPF Foundation educational program demonstrates that knowledge on the risks associated with using recreational drugs increased significantly immediately and did not decrease when students were surveyed by researchers two weeks later. Dagmara Zajac, GPFF Fellow, presented a poster on the educational program to both the Association for Psychological Science and the Great Lakes Chapter of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. View the video here.
GPFF Wins Grant from 100 Women Who Care (March 2022) - After board members Ross Friedman and Lexie Kessler made a presentation to the North Suburban Chapter, the members immediately voted to award us approximately $15,000. Thanks to Caryn Putterman for nominating GPFF.
GPFF Partners with Highwood Public Library (March 2022) - This year GPFF expands its Educational Initiatives to include high school students. These efforts were bolstered considerably in February when GPFF met with the Teen Advisory Board at Highwood Public Library. The student feedback is being used to modify content and delivery methodology which is important as we seek not only to reach adolescents, but also a growing Latinx population. Thanks to Rachel McMullen, Children's and Teen Services Manager, for facilitating the meeting. Also, congratulations to the library for being awarded a 2021 National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
GPF Foundation Study Granted IRB Approval (November 2021) - Under the direction of Dr. Steven A. Miller, Associate Professor of Psychology at Rosalind Franklin University (RFU), a team of GPFF Fellows is investigating the impact of the foundation's peer-to-peer presentation model on audience ability to acquire new knowledge and make more informed decisions about recreational drug use. The study has recently received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. GPFF looks forward to sharing the results of the study with you early next year.
GPFF Reaching Gen Z (November 2021) - With its success in delivery of harm reduction presentations to young adults ages 18-25 serving as a guide, GPFF will soon extend its Educational Initiative to a younger audience. New grants awarded by the Grainger Foundation and Highland Park Community Foundation will support rollout of The GPF Foundation’s Educational Initiative to students at both Highland Park and Lake Forest High Schools. Yes! GPFF has aspired to reach a younger audience for some time, and this new funding will allow it to do so in 2022.
The GPF Foundation is also partnering with the New Media program at Lake Forest High School (Greg’s alma mater) to produce videos about its work. New Media teacher Steven Douglass considers the partnership with GPFF to be a powerful extension of his pedagogy. “My goal is to give students the opportunity to produce meaningful media,” said Douglass. “Working a local nonprofit with the mission to save young lives is allowing my students to hone their skills while engaging in service to their own community.”
Connecting to Youth (August 2021) - Educating and empowering young people is central to the GPFF mission. Recently we met with the Committee Representing Our Young Adults (CROYA), a youth-led North-shore based youth agency offering programs and activities for area youth, to explore collaboration and educational opportunities. We are also seeking support to adapt and deliver our education programs for high school audiences.
GPF Foundation on WGN (April 2021) - To learn more about our partnership with Cook County Health, click here to hear Ross Friedman, our co-founder and Dr. Michelle Sergel discuss it with Robin Baumgarten and Larry Potash on WGN News. They talk about how the Friedman's son Greg's tragic experience with adulterated ecstasy led to the founding of the Foundation and how our organizations are collaborating to train medical providers to recognize and treat the negative effects of psychostimulant drugs.
New Support for Medical Simulation (April 2021) - The GPF Foundation is grateful to the Healthcare Foundation of Highland Park Foundation for their generous support of our medical simulation lab project in partnership with Cook County Health and Hospitals System. We are working with Dr. Michelle Sergel, Director of Cook County’s Emergency Medicine Simulation Lab, to develop scripts and scenarios to train frontline medical providers to respond most effectively to patients experiencing MDMA-related symptoms.
New Grant Support (September 2020) - GPF Foundation received a generous grant as part of the Savills Landlord Challenge. In this annual tradition, commercial property owners, vendors and others participate in a golf outing and raffle to benefit charitable organizations they select. We are grateful and honored to be selected for this award and to share the proceeds with Boys Hope Girls Hope of Illinois.
Partnering with the Scientific and Medical Communities (September 2020) - As part of the GPF Foundation’s outreach to the medical community, Ross Friedman, co-founder and Board President, was a panelist at Rosalind Franklin University’s Brain Science Institute Conference. The panel discussion was focused on brain function, repair, regeneration & genetics. Ross shared GPF Foundation’s efforts to build on the scientific research to educate medical professionals in the emergency room to respond to someone experiencing a negative reaction to MDMA or other psychostimulant.
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