West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced his office will kick off its “Opioid Abuse Prevention Game of the Week” initiative for a fifth year.
The statewide awareness effort has yielded immense success since its inception, engaging with teams and communities at more than 210 high school football games across West Virginia.
“Prevention remains key in tackling the devastation wrought by opioid abuse once and for all,” Morrisey said. “Each week this initiative provides yet another opportunity to present life-saving information to communities across West Virginia. Without education, addiction can begin with treatment for the most routine of injuries, so it is crucial that we inform everyone – young and old – about the risks of prescription opioids in hopes that added awareness can make the difference in stopping senseless death.”
The 2021 season kicks off with games featuring Logan vs. Man and Tyler Consolidated vs. Ritchie County.
The initiative is part of a broader partnership to tackle opioid use in high school athletics between the Attorney General’s Office and the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission.
“This is an important collaboration between Attorney General Morrisey’s office and the WVSSAC because opioid abuse and addiction continue to be prevalent in our communities,” said Bernie Dolan, executive director of the WVSSAC. “Bringing awareness to the problem is critical if we’re going to stop the destruction of lives stemming from opioid abuse, and the Game of the Week program is an excellent way to accomplish this.”
Throughout each week, the initiative engages with student-athletes, coaches, school officials and communities across West Virginia. Representatives from the Attorney General’s Office inform the respective coaches as to the dangers of opioid use and provide educational material for display and distribution in the schools to foster more discussion of the issue.
The week culminates with the Attorney General’s Office staffing an information booth at each of the select sporting events to distribute opioid abuse awareness materials.
Opioid painkillers may temporarily relieve pain, but do nothing to address the underlying injury and can have serious side effects. The medication also carries striking similarities to heroin.
The attorney general and his partners worry the unnecessary usage of opioid painkillers to treat athletic injuries could lead to increased dependence, abuse and addiction.
Parents and caregivers are urged to discuss alternative treatment plans with their child’s healthcare provider. Such alternatives include physical, occupational and massage therapy, along with chiropractic medicine, acupuncture and over-the-counter medications.
If an opioid proves necessary, parents and caregivers are encouraged to only use the medication as directed, closely monitor their child’s use, safely dispose of any unused pills and talk about the inherent dangers of misuse, abuse and sharing.
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