Quick Takes editorial: ‘Tall Cop’ brings eye-opening drug talk

Jermaine Galloway, the 6-foot-9 retired law enforcement officer known as “Tall Cop,” has a tall order. His mission is reducing drug use among young people who face continually mounting pressures and an always-changing kaleidoscope of mind-altering substances.

Galloway visited Columbus recently on a training and education mission sponsored by the Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Council. As The Republic’s Mark Webber reported, Galloway’s informative visit was illuminating if not sometimes alarming. Among the more shocking revelations, “Tall Cop” said he had confirmed at least one Bartholomew County overdose death connected with the common diarrhea medicine Imodium. Some kids also are taking what’s called “the Benadryl challenge,” which has led numerous youngsters to the emergency room.

Yet what’s more important than trying to keep up with the ever-evolving drug trade, Galloway stressed, is for parents to stay aware and connected in their children’s lives. “Galloway said he didn’t want the audience to memorize a lot of (drug) names. His advice to parents was much simpler than that. Look for anything your child possesses that seems out of place. That is how most of these drugs are discovered,” Webber wrote.

But Galloway also had a positive takeaway: in most cases, the kids are all right. He said 80 percent are not using drugs. “Don’t believe someone who says ‘everybody is doing it’,” he said. “… Yes, we need to be concerned, but the problem is not as bad as it could be.”

COVID relief, but new challenges

As few as two to four people were hospitalized with COVID at Columbus Regional this week, the lowest numbers since last July. Wonderful news, even as health officials are closely watching a more infectious omicron variant. There’s reason for optimism on that count, too, because the new variant may not result in cases so severe they require a hospital admission. Time will tell.

Less than three months ago, the local health care system was overburdened with a record 70 COVID patients at the height of the omicron surge. Resources were strained to the point that many elective procedures and routine health care visits were postponed.

The Republic’s Andy East has tracked the COVID trends as they’ve impacted the local community. This week, he wrote that even as hospitalizations declined, new challenges are emerging for health care professionals. “Officials say they are seeing significantly more patients experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues due to the stresses of the pandemic. Many people are suffering from the grief of losing a loved one to the virus,” East wrote.

Patients who put off treatment during the pandemic are now filling up doctors’ appointment calendars, sometimes with conditions that worsened if left untreated. Patients will need patience.

“I think it’s going to be a long time before we start to feel more normal again, but honestly, I don’t know that we’ll ever go back to the way things were,” Dr. Lindsay Anderson, a physician specializing in internal medicine at Columbus Internal Medicine Associates, told East.

Student’s ‘Blue’ script is gold

Columbus Signature Academy senior Piper Parks was surprised at her school this week with news she was the winner of Bloomington-based Pigasus Pictures’ “Project Pigasus,” the fifth annual statewide screenwriting competition among Hoosier high school students who submit compelling Indiana stories.

Parks said her screenplay, “Blue,” was inspired by her experience struggling with loneliness and depression amid the pandemic. Parks told The Republic’s Jana Wiersema that writing about her experiences was hard but helped her recognize the beauty around her.

The young screenwriter’s victory is a win for Columbus too. Various locations around the city will be the stage for the short film Pigasus will shoot here in early May. The shoot also will involve CSA students who will have an opportunity to learn the filmmaking art.

Congratulations to Piper and her classmates on what’s sure to be a memorable experience. We can’t wait to see the film.