Substance abuse tops the list of risky behaviors that land the county?s young adults in the emergency room, Carroll Hospital Center nurses say.
“We see a lot of alcohol-related and drug-related injuries,” said Pam Phillips, a member of EnCARE, a group of emergency room nurses who visit schools to warn students of the dangers of substance abuse.
The 10th Annual Risky Business Prevention Conference in Westminster on Tuesday will host Phillips and other EnCARE educators for the first time this year as part of the convention?s “Riding the Wave of Change” theme.
The local chapter of EnCARE formed in the late 1990s in response to a rash of heroin-related hospital visits, Phillips said.
The conference, aimed at raising awareness about the health risks of young adults, will also feature Kathie Durbin, who will speak about what parents can do to prevent underage alcohol use. A timely topic, Durbin will present “Adult Host ? Responsibility: Changing the Culture and Raising Awareness in Our Community” only a week after a Westminster woman was charged with furnishing alcohol to minors during an underage drinking party in May.
So far this year, Carroll ER doctors treated 63 minors with alcohol-related diagnoses, compared with 90 in 2005 and 120 in 2004, according to the county health department. Drugs forced 103 minors to visit the ER, compared with 159 in 2005 and 225 in 2004.
Conference-goers will receive a packet on the latest Carroll County teen trend data on risky behaviors.
A third of all car wrecks in Carroll involve teenagers, according to the conference report.
Presenters also include trauma expert Stephanie Van Deusen.
Where to go
What: 10th Annual Risky Business Prevention Conference
When: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Best Western Conference Center, 451 WMC Drive
