<Discussion is not an endorsement, for informational purposes only>
Project Daris is a free resource that came out of a heartbreaking tragedy. Project Daris was started by the parents of Daris Fent, a talented young man with a bright future who tragically lost his life to a heroin overdose. Daris was an accomplished guitarist, an excellent student, was well-liked among his peers, and after graduating high school he became a Marine. By all accounts, he was just a good young man with a goal of helping others. Sadly, he developed an addiction to prescription Oxycontin due to an injury sustained while in the military; he was able to hide his addiction for several years, until he had no other option but to ask for help. He attended rehab, and initially was successful in beating addiction. However, he relapsed in less than 30 days, and it was during the relapse that he overdosed.
It was from this tragedy that his parents set up Project Daris to help prevent what happened to Daris from happening to others. Consisting of a group of healthcare professionals that includes doctors, pharmacists, and nurses, Project Daris provides free substance abuse prevention education to grades K-12 in Kentucky with the goal of reaching children in all 120 counties. Project Daris provides age appropriate materials to all age groups, and where appropriate and permissible for grades 6-12, people in long term recovery are brought in to share their stories. The program can address a classroom or an entire school, and considering that 1 in 4 middle and high school students admit to having abused drugs, the earlier education is shared concerning the dangers of drug abuse and addiction the better. The program takes about an hour for a full presentation, is 100% free due to being privately funded by concerned healthcare professionals, and is a unique educational opportunity for students.
For further information, or to schedule a visit, please contact Dr Robert Goforth Pharm.D, RPh., at robert@projectdaris.com.
Teresa King
PMHC Intern