Students at Coastal Alabama Community College’s Fairhope campus are harnessing the widespread popularity of podcasts to address critical issues such as substance abuse, suicide and the opioid epidemic. The college has partnered with the non-profit Baldwin County Community Alliance (BCCA) since 2017. This partnership began because of a grant that the BCCA received from the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) to combat the opioid epidemic in young adults. This is the second published season of the podcast What If You Knew? podcast which includes nine episodes created and hosted by seven Fairhope students featuring guests with first-hand experience in a wide range of important topics.

Through the ADMH grant funding, the BCCA anticipates funding the podcast through 2026. Seasons 1 and 2 are available on the BCCA website, Proudtobefreebaldwin.org, as well as the global iHeartRadio app, which gives the content tremendous reach. Mandy Bezeredi, Fairhope campus director for Coastal Alabama Community College, said the widespread reach of the content is critical to its intended impact, as is the podcast format on which it’s produced.

“You have to rely on what the current trends are so you can meet students and others that could be impacted exactly where they are,” Bezeredi said. “It gives the podcast a chance to make a bigger ripple effect, and not just affect our community, but also other college students elsewhere.”

Last fall, as the podcast was in pre-production, the BCCA contracted with the Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation to host a podcast training. During the training, the students discussed which topics were most pertinent to college-aged students.  The overarching theme they chose was mental health and substance abuse which includes relationships and suicide, fentanyl, opioid addiction, vaping and alcohol abuse.

While producing the podcast offers important experience to the students, their involvement with the BCCA and other community partners is only the beginning of their opportunities. Earlier this year, the students as well as certain supporting educators participated in the 34th annual Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) National Leadership Forum, the only youth representatives from Alabama to attend the Maryland event. The BCCA was able to send the seven members of the podcast team through their funding, and the Fairhope Police Department generously provided scholarships for the supporting educators involved with the initiative.

Two returning podcast members were recently sent to Chicago for the CADCA midyear conference, as well, to learn more about new drug trends and other issues to prepare for the next season of the What If You Knew? podcast.

As part of the original ADMH grant, the first task force worked to have an opioid education component, MySmartDose.com, added to the Coastal Alabama’s mandatory ORI 101 course. The podcast was added as a goal for the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant in 2021 to enhance these opioid efforts. And it is only part of a concerted effort to spark awareness and provide resources related to addiction and mental health. After attending CADCA Leadership Forum in February, the podcast team was motivated to hold a Narcan training at the Coastal Alabama Fairhope Campus for students, faculty, and staff.  The training was held in April and sponsored by Coastal Alabama, BCCA, and the Fairhope Police Department.  Each attendee was educated on the benefits of the overdose treatment drug plus BCCA provided free Narcan kits. Narcan is a lifesaving drug that can be administered to individuals who are overdosing.

A similar event will be hosted by C.O.P.E. Community Overdose Prevention Effort, on Tuesday, July 30, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Fairhope Civic Center located at 348 Oak Street. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for light refreshments and networking with community partners. No registration is required, and attendees will receive a complimentary Narcan kit upon completing the training.  C.O.P.E is comprised of the following community agencies: Fairhope Police Department, BCCA, Coastal Alabama Community College, People Engaged in Recovery (P.E.I.R), and Door to Serenity.

Anyone interested in the What If You Knew? podcast, or any of Coastal Alabama Community College’s community initiatives, is encouraged to contact Campus Director Mandy Bezeredi at [email protected]. To listen to episodes of What If You Knew? on the BCCA website, visit Proudtobefreebaldwin.org/podcasts-what-if-you-knew, and for episodes on iHeart Radio, visit Iheart.com/podcast/269-what-if-you-knew-99656046.