At Jefferson University in Philadelphia, little stickers carry a big message that could save lives
A campaign at Jefferson University in Philadelphia uses stickers to share powerful messages aimed at fighting the overdose crisis.
Students and faculty work to make a lifesaving message stick with stickers that say things like "Stay cool, carry Narcan."
"I really want to bring the human touch to these stickers," Jefferson student Lyn Yeoh said.
Yeoh is part of the team designing the stickers that have messages about the dangers of drug abuse and how to find help.
"People need to relate to it, people need to empathize with it," Yeoh said.
The stickers that will be all over campus also have plenty of reminders about the effectiveness of treatment for opioid use disorder.
"One of the primary reasons people who use substances don't seek care is due to stigma," said Dr. Gregg Jaffe with Sidney Kimmel Medical College.
Jaffe, who created the program, said the stickers spread awareness and destigmatize drug treatments with the message aimed mainly at students.
"They don't get a lot of substance use education in their training," Jaffe said.
With the messaging aimed at young people, the stickers use a lot of Gen Z slang.
"It's something small and simple for them to connect with," Nikitha Polavarapu said.
One says, "Great job, thanks for giving a damn about your life."
"His program can really help can broaden the understanding of harm reduction," Gwen Vogelsang said.
They're designing, printing and cutting out the stickers and putting them in prominent places and on water bottles and laptops.
