Innovative Prevention Concept Features Interactive Portal Educating Students about Opioid, Substance Misuse and Deadly Fentanyl
West Virginia Press Association
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — GameChanger, in collaboration with St. Andrew Development of York, Pa., and REAL Prevention of Clifton, N.J., is bringing West Virginia’s first Student-Athlete Wellness Portal to Doddridge County High School.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t applaud Superintendent Cheeseman, Jeremy Waugman and the entire Doddridge County Schools administrative staff for their profound vision and commitment to prevention education,” says Joe Boczek, GameChanger Executive Director.
The Student-Athlete Wellness Portal (SAWP) provides a digital, self-paced intervention for a population that is at high risk of prescription opioid misuse: student-athletes. Student-athletes often understand the “warrior mentality” of their sport, taking on expectations they can and should play through injuries and pain.
SAWP is based on formative interviews with student athletes, coaches and athletic trainers across the country. These interviews were used to create a brief (20 minute) narrative program that includes video vignettes produced by academy-award winning film producer Aaron Matthews.
Doddridge County Superintendent of Schools Adam Cheeseman says protecting and taking care of students is a top priority.
“We are here for our kids. We have had GameChanger prevention education in our schools for three years and have been very pleased with the progress and performance so when they presented us with this opportunity, we jumped at it. We are committed to the safety, health and well-being of our students and I think this is just another way to solidify that commitment.”
Doddridge County Mental Health Director Jeremy Waugaman echoed Cheeseman’s thoughts.
“This generation of students is very bright and driven but is also faced with more challenges regarding dangerous opportunities than perhaps any other generation to this point. We must continue to educate them on these dangers. GameChanger does a remarkable job in prevention education, and the Student Athlete Wellness Portal is just another example of their commitment.”
Boczek says he believes GameChanger is becoming the preeminent prevention education program in West Virginia with its sights set on nationwide implementation in the future.
“GameChanger continues to expand its Prevention Education Program to better serve our kids, youth and communities. We are now offering Evidence-Informed and Evidence-Based curriculum. We have programs in 68 schools in 20 West Virginia Counties and have provided every middle and high school in the state at no charge a complete program to help schools satisfy the requirements of Laken’s Law, which mandates fentanyl and opioid prevention awareness education for all students in grades 6-12. At this point we estimate that over 250,000 students have received this benefit.
GameChanger is a student-powered substance misuse prevention movement committed to building supportive school environments that reduce drug use and empower youth to make healthy, informed choices as our future leaders of tomorrow.
To learn more about GameChanger, visit: www.gamechangerusa.org
