healthy living
A Pardon for Partiers Medical amnesty is key in changing university and state culture. ➼
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n September 2012, Kurt Myers died of alcohol poisoning. Peer pressure led Kurt, a sophomore at Wheeling Park High School, to drink a lot of alcohol in a short period of time. Fear prevented his peers from calling for help. “Losing a brother to alcohol poisoning—which could have been prevented—creates an immediate lifelong heartache,” says former WVU student Lauren Myers. For the past three years, Lauren and her family have taken every opportunity to educate young people about the potentially fatal consequences of experimenting with alcohol or drugs and encouraging them, in all circumstances, to make that important call for help. “It is a heartache that cannot be imagined,” Lauren says, “and one that I would not want anyone else to experience.” But someone else did. In November 2014 freshman and fraternity pledge Nolan Burch was found unconscious in the Kappa Sigma fraternity house following a night of heavy drinking. He died two days later. Nolan’s death made national news, putting WVU’s struggle to reform student partying culture under fierce scrutiny. At that time, WVU’s Student Government Association was already working to enact medical amnesty: the right to seek help for a person who is sick or unconscious due to overdose without fear of ramification. The SGA and Student Advocates for Legislative Advancement began work back in 2013 to get policies adopted at the university and state levels. A representative of both organizations, Kristen Pennington said she and her peers conducted research on the proposed bill and delivered their findings to West Virginia Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer (D-Monongalia). “She really took it from there and fought to make it pass,” Kristen says. Minority chair of the House Health and Human Resources Committee, Barbara says she was moved by the enthusiasm of the WVU representation, which included students and staff. She also had an underlying passion for the cause. “Friends of mine had a son who died of a heroin overdose,” she says. “He was from a well-liked family in Morgantown, and nobody had any idea he was experimenting. He was a great student and had just gotten a new job.” He died at a party at his parents’ house while they were out of town. “Nobody called 911,” Barbara says. 44
Morgantown • Aug/Sept 2015
Concerned by the enormous increase in overdose deaths from opioids, legislators from the southern part of the state were at the same time working on amnesty legislation targeting drug overdoses. A bill introduced at the request of Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, combining legislation developed during 2013 and 2014 interim study sessions, was passed in March of 2015. Known as the Alcohol and Drug Overdose Prevention and Clemency Act, it went into effect June 12. The key provision of the bill is amnesty. “The person who makes the 911 phone call is completely exonerated,” Barbara says. “That person gets off without any repercussions as long as they stay with the person and cooperate with authorities.” That means the caller must identify himself if requested and provide information needed to assist with the victim’s treatment. The person experiencing the alcohol or drug overdose may also be eligible for immunity and clemency after completing a substance abuse or recovery program approved by the court. In May, soon after the state’s bill passed, WVU Vice President of Student Life William Schafer announced plans for the university’s medical amnesty policy to the WVU Faculty Senate. The policy is yet to be finalized, says WVU President Gordon Gee, but he expects the policy to change university culture. “Part of being a Mountaineer is looking out for each other, so there should be nothing that causes a person to hesitate when they see a fellow Mountaineer in distress,” he says. “An amnesty program does just that.” WVU believes the policy will encourage students to make responsible decisions and alert authorities when they see someone in medical distress from alcohol or drugs, says Dean of Students Corey Farris. “In those situations, we want our students’ first thought to be ‘How can I help?’ and not to worry about possible disciplinary action. We want them to contact emergency responders when they believe someone has alcohol poisoning or has overdosed. We hope that a 911 call can be made early enough to help save a life.” As of mid-July, the university was in the process of hiring a new director of student conduct whose responsibilities will be, in part, to implement the policy during the 2015-16 school year. The legislation and the university’s policy go hand in hand,