Birdielight

My name is Beth Weinstock M.D. I am co-founder of a fentanyl-safety prevention effort, BirdieLight based in Columbus, Ohio. We were founded in September of 2021, six months after my son Eli died, while a sophomore at American University, from accidental fentanyl ingestion. The catastrophic devastation from the current fentanyl epidemic is hard to comprehend, and I still can't believe it personally touched my family. Our mission is so simple – to prevent another family from experiencing this unimaginable and unnecessary pain. Our mission is to educate young people and parents on the presence of illicit fentanyl, and the prevention of accidental ingestion through safe practices. We provide fentanyl test strip education to encourage young people to take control of their safety, in the instance they do decide to experiment with drugs. So far, we have spoken to universities, high schools and parent groups across the US, reaching 60,000 students, parents, educators and medical professionals. In the Washington D.C. area we have spoken to students at American University, Walt Whitman HS, Washington International, Montgomery Blair,Winston Churchill, and Charles E Smith Jewish Day School. We can provide any references you may need in the area. We have appeared on local media and on CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper. We have been the honored recipient of the COSI STEM Star award, and a grantee of ADAMH, and The Good People Fund. We are in partnership with the HEALing Communities Study through NIH and OEND, and a Project Dawn location. We collaborate with both federal and local governments, as well as local public health departments and stakeholders, to get the message out to young people about the imminent danger of fentanyl poisoning. We would ask you to consider bringing this education to your students to arm them with the tools necessary to protect themselves and their peers. We would love to meet and discuss what options would look like for moving forward to bring this critical and life saving information to your school.