good samaritan policy

YOU can start a Good Samaritan Policy (GSP) on your campus!  What is a GSP (also known as Medical Amnesty Policy)?  In short, these policies protect students from getting in trouble when seeking help for a fellow student needing medical attention involving alcohol or drugs.  Here is a hypothetical situation:  Say you’re drinking in your dorm room with some friends, and your roommate comes home from a party looking smashed.  She passes out, and even though you’re shouting her name and prodding her, she’s not responding.  You know she needs help, but you’re afraid to call 9-1-1.  After all, there are underage people drinking in your dorm, and nobody wants to get in trouble.  What do you do?

A recent study at North Dakota State University by Dr. Laura Oster-Aaland showed that GSPs tend to increase help-seeking behaviors.  People are more likely to call 9-1-1 when there is a policy that not only encourages you to make that call, but also protects you from getting in trouble.

Keep Friendship Alive and Erica Upshaw are huge advocates of GSPs.  There must be education on this issue, but we think students also need that extra nudge to do the right thing.  Judgements are compromised when alcohol is involved.  Being both drunk and scared can lead to awful decisions.  No one deserves to pay the ultimate price.

Are you inspired to learn more about these policies?  Check out this link from Students for Sensible Drug Policy to see if your school has a GSP.  If not, talk with your professors.  Engage influential students on campus.  Start a club.  Contact the media.  Make an issue out of it.

Erica recently presented at Virginia Tech, and a wonderful student named Liz Rogers was in the audience.  After Erica shared that Tech doesn’t currently have a GSP, Liz made it her mission to change this.  A few short weeks later, the local media did a piece for the evening news, below.  She made massive strides very quickly, and voila, Virginia Tech had their policy a few months later.  We asked Liz to put together a step by step process, below.  Also, check out the national Facebook page, ”Students for a Good Samaritan Policy”, which Liz started.  Lastly, don’t hesitate to contact us for help.

 

GOOD SAMARITAN POLICY CHECKLIST, prepared by Liz Rogers at Virginia Tech:
(Please let us know if you have any steps or tips for us to add!)

At Virginia Tech, we recently had a Good Samaritan Policy/ Medical Amnesty policy started. I have compiled a list of things that we did in order to start this process.  These may not work at every school, but at least it can help you begin to brainstorm and get a GSP started at your school.  The main thing to remember is don’t try and do it by yourself – get as much help as possible.  This policy is a great one to have and it is a very rewarding experience to go through.  If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email.  I would love to try and help you!  Liz Rogers:  lzrogers@vt.edu

STEP 1:  Get in contact with other organizations at your school that pertain to alcohol and drugs.  For instance, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is a great group to tap into.  They can provide educational information about alcohol and drugs.  Also, it gives you more support and help so you don’t do it all by yourself.

STEP 2:  Do RESEARCH!  At my school, we were lucky and the SSDP had tried to get the policy past a few years ago so we had all of their information.  I also set up a google alert for anything that had to do with the Good Samaritan Policy. This helped me keep up with current events.

STEP 3:  Define exactly what you want, and come up with a list of goals.  For instance, at Virginia Tech our policy is mainly about alcohol and not illegal drugs.

    1. If you’re in Greek Life, see how the policy can be applied.  Look up rules about what classifies an event and the process once a fraternity / sorority gets in trouble.
    2. When I spoke with my sorority nationals, they had never heard of a Good Samaritan Policy and are currently looking into it to see what they think.  Call your nationals and see what they think about it, and how it can fit into your rules.
STEP 4:  Create a facebook group that shares what the GSP is.  It’s also a way for you to start spreading the word to people.  We were able to post meeting times and ask for opinions from the people who were interested.  Also, show support on the national Facebook page.
STEP 5:  Contact your school newspaper. This is a great way to alert the rest of the school about what you are trying to do.  This will also show the faculty and staff you are serious about this policy.
STEP 6:  Meet with your Dean of students. I am assuming every school is different, and the Dean we met with was the Dean / VP of Student Affairs.  Find the person who deals with drug/alcohol policies at your school.

    1. Dress nicely for this meeting.
    2. Have a plan drawn out so they can read it and discuss what they would wish to change.  Ask their opinion on what they think is needed.
    3. Share all the information you have.  For instance, have a list of other schools with the policy, discuss how states like New York have passed the policy.
    4. You could even create a survey for students at your school to show what they know about the policy, if they would be interested in it, and ask what they would want in this policy.

STEP 7:  Meet with the Board of Visitors or whoever is in charge of implementing the policy.  Most schools will need to see that some sort of learning experience is gained if a student goes through this process.  Include an educational element such as taking a class on alcohol awareness or learning the warning signs of an alcohol or drug overdose.  The Red Watch Band program is a great way to educate.  Hopefully, this will be your last step!