Leaders are working to fight back against a disturbing trend.
CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Chester County is the latest to jump on board with the national Coaches vs. Overdoses campaign.
This campaign was started in 2022 by Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy White following the death of his son-in-law to a drug overdose.
Chester County officials say in 2023, they saw 149 overdoses and as of September of 2024 they’ve already seen 106. They say with this uptick it’s important to start the conversation now with the youth.
“We still have October, November, December to get through this year and that number is steadily rising,” said Melody Reid, director of prevention services for the Hazel Pittman Center. “So we’re going to surpass the number of last year’s overdoses.”
The center works within the county, providing help for those who may be struggling with this problem.
“Our focus in prevention is young adults, young adolescents. We go into the schools and we do curriculum about life skills and alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs,” Reid said.
She also noted the numbers she’s seen so far this year are alarming and explained they’re only going to get worse if something isn’t done.
“It’ll probably be 10 years into the future before we’re able to really combat this and get a handle on it,” Reid said.
To fight this, the Chester County School District has joined the Coaches vs Overdoses campaign as a collaboration between the district, coaches, and students.
“We want to combat what they hear on social media or see on social media. We’re just trying to get the word out to the parents and [the students] that it’s dangerous. The slogan is ‘just one pill can kill,’” explained Ricky Campbell, athletic director at Chester High School.
District leaders say the goal now is to do what they can to ensure students have someone to talk to and the problem doesn’t get out of hand.
“It just opens the door for community and brings awareness and there are several resources that students and parents can utilize,” said Chris Christoff, communications director for the district.
Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
