SPC Students, Faculty Earn Statesman's Praise for Jessica's Project Achievements

November 29, 2018

Public Information Officer

ST. PHILIP'S COLLEGE ADDICTION PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION SYMPOSIUM WITH SEVEN RECOVERING ADDICTS AND 600 GUESTS NOV. 29

Gov. Greg Abbott has addressed his keen interest in the Nov. 29 Jessica’s Project in a letter of welcome to participants, students and faculty

St. Philip’s College invites all to join a bevy of participants and presenters in Season Seven of Jessica's Project activities that will allow 600 guests and students to give back while addressing addiction with seven recovering addicts Nov. 29 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the college’s Watson Fine Arts Center at 1801 Martin Luther King Drive.

Several of the case studies have visited with students in anatomy, physiology and nutrition classes in October and November. Earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott addressed his keen interest in the Nov. 29 Jessica’s Project in a letter of welcome to participants and team. 

Faculty member Dr. Solomon Nfor leads the project at the college. 

“I reached out to the governor and he indicated that he was not available to attend but was very passionate about the topic. So I asked if he could address the conference virtually or by issuing a statement to that regards. His office has been very helpful in this venture,” said Nfor.

Text from the statesman’s letter of welcome and praise reads…

As Governor of Texas, I am pleased to welcome you all to St. Philip's College Jessica's Project Symposium on addiction.

The fight against drug and alcohol addiction must be fought on all fronts. It demands collaboration and coordination, as well as effective analysis, training, and implementation to make sure chosen approaches are achieving desired results. This event will serve as a great opportunity for both students and professionals to share information, network, and learn about innovative new strategies on how to end the stigma of addiction in our society. 

I commend all involved and participating in this event. As we all know, addiction has a destructive impact on the physical and emotional health of the individual and on the well-being of our society as a whole_. But together, we can work toward a brighter future for our state and nation.

First Lady Cecilia Abbott joins me in wishing you all an educational event.

Letter from Gov. Abbott

Education and outreach on both addiction and mental illness is an element of the college's larger commitment to transforming socio-economic conditions for residents surrounding its main campus by improving education opportunities. The community partners in the Nov. 29 Jessica's Project event are UT Health Center (Dr. Lisa Kilpela, Dr. Cindy McGeary and Dr. Donald McGeary), UT Health Center representatives from the Addiction Research, Treatment and Training (ARTT) Center of Excellence and the Center for Research to Advance Community Health (ReACH), and San Antonio State Hospital. The keynote speaker in the Jessica's Project Season Eight: Addiction Symposium is Dr. William Woods.

To join the conversation on the study, attend the program, contact Nfor at 210-486-2754 or snfor@aplrealestate.com, or visit the college’s social media pages at www.aalmo.edu/spc(Courtesy images)

About Jessica’s Project: Jessica's Project http://aplrealestate.com/spc/jessicasproject/ is an innovative seven-year-old series of semester classroom events that have engaged hundreds of St. Philip's College students and the faculty (from arts and sciences, health sciences and applied science and technology) with the community to address a health issue through an evidence-based program. With faculty sponsorship, students learn about the impact of nutrition on health as they raise awareness on campus and in their community. Past projects have addressed spina bifida, traumatic brain injury, cardiovascular health, celiac disease, gastroparesis, Crohn's disease and unplanned pregnancy prevention.