On April 28, 2026, our lead pharmacist Sarah Johnson and two team members visited Jefferson Middle School to conduct an educational workshop on medication safety. The program, titled "Be Smart About Medications," is designed to prevent prescription drug misuse among adolescents.
Interactive Presentations: Students participated in scenario-based discussions about the risks of sharing medications, taking medications not prescribed for them, and recognizing peer pressure.
Real-Life Stories: Our pharmacists shared anonymized case studies from their practice, illustrating the serious consequences of medication misuse, including accidental overdose and dangerous drug interactions.
Q&A Session: A 30-minute open forum allowed students to ask questions anonymously via submitted notecards. Topics ranged from "What happens if I take expired medicine?" to "How do I tell a friend not to take my pills?"
Take-Home Resources: Every student received a booklet co-authored by our pharmacy and the school nurse, covering safe medication practices, proper storage at home, and a guide for talking to parents about medications.
A post-workshop survey revealed that 94% of students could correctly identify at least three risks of prescription drug misuse, up from 52% in the pre-workshop assessment. "This is the most engaged I've seen our students in a health session," said Linda Martinez, the school nurse. "The pharmacists made a serious topic accessible and memorable."
Based on the positive feedback, we are in discussions with three additional middle schools in the district to offer this workshop during the fall semester. We are also developing a version tailored for high school students.
This educational program is provided at no cost to schools. If you are an educator interested in hosting a medication safety workshop, please contact our pharmacy.
