County health department to host event to help parents identify risky behaviors

Adults in Southeast Missouri are invited to attend Hidden in Plain View: An Initiative to Help Parents Spot Signs of Risky Behavior, hosted by the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center.

Hidden in Plain View will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau and is free and open to adults. The event will include an exhibit featuring an interactive display of a teenager’s bedroom containing more than 70 items that could signal a young person is involved in risky activities, according to the event’s flyer.

Attendees can learn how to spot warning signs and receive tips for talking with children about the dangers of alcohol and drug use.

Maria Davis, health educator for the health center, explained in a Tuesday email the goal of the event is simply to help parents identify risky behavior.

“Raising a teen these days is tough,” Davis stated. “Often, parents do not know how to identify when their kids are using drugs and alcohol. Your kids could be hiding drug use in plain sight using internet resources and the fact that they can be really creative.”

For more information, contact the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center at (573) 335-7846 or Davis at maria.lundy@capecountyhealth.com.