St. Louis Front Page - Not Just For KIDS!

Not Just For Kids!
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St. Louis Children's Hospital First Aid Station Opens at the Saint Louis Zoo
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), September 14, 2008 - Visitors at the world-renowned Saint Louis Zoo will now receive medical support provided by nationally-ranked St. Louis Children's Hospital. About 20 hospital paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) will staff the Zoo's first official first aid station to provide medical help for visitors, Zoo employees and volunteers needing treatment for minor injuries.

"This partnership is one of the few collaborations of its kind between a metropolitan zoo and children's hospital," said Dr. Jeffrey Bonner, Saint Louis Zoo president and CEO. "Our first aid station team gives our youngest visitors and their families the reassurance of highly-trained first aid support, if they should ever need it."

Located near the Conservation Carousel at the northeast corner of the Zoo grounds, the First Aid Station features curtained-off exam areas as well as cots for patients overcome by heat or needing rest. It will also serve as a lactation site for nursing mothers and as a place for lost children to reunite with their families. Non-medical assistance will be provided by Zoo volunteers.

The First Aid Station staff is trained in lifesaving techniques, although most injuries at the zoo include scraped knees, bumps and bruises, or insect bites. A red first aid vehicle equipped with first aid supplies and a stretcher will also reach people needing assistance at locations around the Zoo. For more serious injuries, the paramedics and EMTs from the First Aid Station can provide help until a St. Louis Fire Department ambulance transports the injured person to nearby hospitals for additional treatment.

"For many years, we have collaborated with the Zoo for community events, so this partnership is a natural extension of a great relationship," said Lee Fetter, president of St. Louis Children's Hospital."We share a dedication to the health, education and wellbeing of children and families, whether they live in St. Louis or are just visiting."

The first aid station will be staffed by medical personnel during regular Zoo hours from April 1 through October 31 and for various special events. During the rest of the year, the building will be open and staffed by Zoo volunteers.

Prescription Drug Abuse Shows Encouraging Declines
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), September 7, 2008 - Current illicit drug use among teens is continuing to decline, according to a new report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The study also shows positive signs that teens are seeing the dangers of abusing prescription drugs and methamphetamine and are pushing back. Among youth ages 12-17, the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the Nation's largest substance use survey, shows that the significant decline in overall past month illicit drug use that began in 2002 continued through 2007, from 11.6 percent to 9.5 percent.

The survey, released at the start of the 19th Annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, shows that the reductions in youth drug use occurred for nearly every type of illicit drug including marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, LSD, and Ecstasy. The survey also shows dramatic declines in meth use, down by 67 percent (from 0.3% to 0.1%) and prescription drug abuse among teens, which declined overall by 18 percent, from 4 percent to 3.3 percent between 2002-2007.

Alarmingly, despite the decline in overall prescription drug abuse, as a class of drugs, the abuse of prescription drugs continues to have more past year new users than any other class. In 2007, there were 2.5 million past year initiates of this class of drug compared to 2.1 million initiates of marijuana, the next most initiated drug in 2007. When used correctly and under the care of a health provider, prescription drugs provide many benefits. But there are serious health consequences to abusing these drugs or combining them with alcohol or other drugs, as many teens do.

"According to Media Campaign tracking surveys, parents' awareness of teen prescription drug abuse has doubled since the campaign launched in early February and they are more likely to take action with their teens, but we need to redouble our efforts to keep attention on this troubling trend," said Robert W. Denniston, Director of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. "Teens wrongly believe that prescription drugs may be safer to abuse because they are prescribed by a doctor and they have easy access to them, most often getting them for free from home or from the homes of friends and family."

Urban Hayrides Bring The Country To Forest Park
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), August 24, 2008 - The City of St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry will offer hayrides in Forest Park on Friday and Saturday nights starting Friday, Oct. 3 and ending Saturday, Dec. 13.

The wagons, which are pulled by tractors, leave from Faulkner Drive (at Clayton Road near the Science Center) and take a 45-minute ride. They return to the picnic grounds where a bonfire is waiting. Groups can bring hot dogs and marshmallows to roast. The bonfire has a one-hour time limit.

"City residents can enjoy all the fun of a hayride without going miles from home. Forest Park is a beautiful setting for a ride on a crisp fall evening and then groups can enjoy the fun of sitting around a bonfire," said Dan Skillman, Parks Commissioner.

Riders can choose from the following dates in 2008: Oct. 3 and 4; Oct. 10 and 11; Oct. 17 and 18; Oct. 24 and 25; Oct. 31 and Nov. 1; Nov. 7 and 8; Nov. 14 and 15; Nov. 21 and 22; Dec. 5 and 6; and Dec. 12 and 13. They will not operate during the Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28 and 29.

Wagons leave each evening at 7, 7:05, 7:10, 7:15, 7:20, 8, 8:05, 8:10; 8:15 and 8:20 p.m. These time slots are for group rides with a maximum of 20 people per wagon. Groups of all ages are welcome. The cost is $100 a wagon with a maximum of 20 people per wagon.

Reservations are required and are taken from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday by the permit section of the Parks Department, 314-289-5330. They cannot be made online.

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