Mayo Clinic Health System partners on Substance Use Prevention Event at Mankato middle school

Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS) in Mankato collaborated with several community partners to hold an interactive Substance Use Prevention Event for seventh and eighth graders at Prairie Winds Middle School on Mar. 13 and 14. Other partners included Mankato Area Public Schools, American Lung Association, Blue Earth County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP), the Brown, Nicollet, Le Sueur and Waseca Counties SHIP, Minnesota State University and the City of Mankato. Over 600 students participated in the event, which educated them about the dangers of vaping, tobacco, THC and other drugs. MCHS brought a giant inflatable lung and shared CT scans of a healthy lung and lung after vaping. Oncology and Pulmonology staff were present to answer questions and share stories about the dangers of vaping. This event will be replicated at Dakota Meadows Middle School in Mankato next month.