Effective this fall, Creighton University is replacing the Creighton Alcohol Recovery and Education program with a new program, the Track to Recovery from Alcohol Abuse at Creighton.
A committee to develop the new alcohol recovery program was formed last spring and continued to meet throughout the summer. Deb Saure, nurse practitioner and senior director of Student Health Services served as chair of the committee, which also comprised representatives from Student Health Services, Public Safety, Residential Life and Community Standards and Well Being.
“It was a good time to reevaluate the program,” said Saure. “With the closing of CUMC [Creighton University Medical Center], which is where students could recover overnight, we needed to revisit the program and see what would be the best way to keep our students safe if they have abused alcohol or drank too much alcohol. Safety is the key.”
Under the TRAAC program, Saure said that a student with a blood alcohol level of .15 percent or below can remain in his or her residence hall as long as they have no other underlying medical condition that could cause metabolic problems.
She said, “[A student] could be safe at a .15 if they haven’t injured themselves; [if] they haven’t hit their head.”
Students with a blood alcohol level higher than .15 percent will be escorted by Public Safety to Creighton’s Emergency Department to be evaluated by a medical professional.
Mike Reiner, director of Public Safety, noted that the real difference between TRAAC and CARE is what happens after the student is evaluated. According to Saure, if the medical professional determines that the student is safe, then the student will be discharged and will be able to spend the night in his or her residence hall as opposed to the hospital.
“If you are so bad that you need some in-patient care where they’re going to have to see you for more than a couple of hours, then you are taken in an ambulance ride and you’re going probably to Bergan Mercy,” said Reiner.
Both Saure and Reiner emphasized the importance of providing care for students within TRAAC.
“This isn’t about the discipline.” Reiner said. “There will be some sort of consequence down the road, but this is about our values here at Creighton. We want to take care of the whole person, and part of that is when somebody is so intoxicated that they put themselves in a dangerous position medically; we want them to get help.”