OLATHE, Kan. — On National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Heidi Tomassi and her 'Facing Fentanyl' crew passed out fliers with resources to students at Olathe East High School.
Tomassi is different from other programs that come in for the day. She's the Olathe School District's Fentanyl and Substance Abuse Education Specialist.
She's the best person for the job, because she knows the effect the drug can have. Tomassi's son, Griffin, overdosed on fentanyl and survived.
"We needed some prevention education in our school district in the illicitly manufactured fentanyl space, and they [Olathe School District] heard me, and a grant was written, and now here we are a year-and-a-half later," Tomassi said.
The drug landscape has changed over the past decade, so the approach much change, too. Tomassi is in the classrooms with students, answering questions and sharing her story. According to other students, this approach is working.
"A lot of people are really shocked," Olathe East junior Ryleigh Forshee said. "Her [Tomassi] being able to go into schools and make sure they take it serious instead of an online class they can pass through, makes sure that the awareness hits everyone."
Libby Davis lost her son, Cooper, to an overdose. Now, she runs 'Keepin' Clean for Coop,' and was ecstatic to hear about Tomassi's new role.
Davis' approach is making sure kids the conversation around fentanyl never goes away, because while it's hard to quantify just how many lives have been saved thanks to these programs, we can continue to spread awareness.
"These are conversations that need to be had over and over in the schools," Davis said. "Having one week, Red Ribbon Week, to talk about drug awareness is not enough anymore."
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