In
the
battle
against
opioid
addiction,
Baldwin
Wallace
graduate
Dr.
Kevin
Lorson
'98
is
on
the
front
lines
as
the
author
of
a
classroom
program
offering
"HOPE"
and
prevention
to
students
across
Ohio.
"I
don't
take
this
situation
lightly,"
said
Lorson,
who
majored
in
health
and
physical
education
at
BW.
Lorson
developed
the
Health
and
Opioid
Prevention
Education
(HOPE)
Curriculum
to
meet
an
urgent
legislative
mandate
that
all
Ohio
schools
adopt
a
K-12
health
education
curriculum
that
includes
opioid
prevention
and
medication
safety.
"The
HOPE
Curriculum
is
designed
to
engage
children
and
teachers
at
the
youngest
age
possible
so
that
we
can
help
them
learn
the
skills
to
make
healthy
choices
and
to
understand
the
implications
of
making
unhealthy
choices,"
said
Lorson,
who
previously
taught
and
coached
at
the
high
school
level
and
is
now
a
professor
and
director
of
the
Physical
Education
Licensure
Program
at
Wright
State
University
in
Dayton.
"I'm
not
sure
this
is
the
magic
bullet,
but
the
focus
on
these
concepts
and
skills
gives
us
a
place
to
start
and
a
rallying
point
for
teachers,
students,
parents
and
communities."
The
HOPE
Curriculum
The
HOPE
Curriculum
was
initiated
in
2016
with
grant
support
from
the
Ohio
Department
of
Higher
Education,
and
lessons
are
free
and
available
to
all
Ohio
schools
via
the
state's
Start
Talking!
website.
"I
went
before
the
Ohio
legislature
and
argued
that
the
[old]
program
lacked
an
effective
method
of
completion,"
said
Lorson,
who
received
the
Chancellor's
Award
from
the
Ohio
Department
of
Education
for
his
efforts.
"We
needed
a
better
method,
and
I
hope
we
are
steadily
moving
in
that
direction
now."
The
HOPE
curriculum
is
a
series
of
lessons,
assessments
and
learning
materials
to
develop
students'
functional
knowledge,
attitudes
and
necessary
skills
to
prevent
drug
abuse.
New
approach
"Where
we
used
to
rely
on
'scare'
tactics
to
teach
our
children
about
the
scourge
of
drug
abuse,"
said
Lorson.
"We
are
now
using
a
common-sense
approach
of
discussion."
"Our
goal
is
not
just
to
educate
the
children,"
continued
Lorson,
a
former
president
of
the
Ohio
Association
for
Health,
Physical
Education,
Recreation
and
Dance.
"It
also
is
designed
for
the
children
to
educate
their
family
members
as
well
as
other
children.
By
teaching
our
children
to
make
good,
smart
choices
early
in
their
lives,
we
hope
they
will
be
the
next
set
of
teachers
in
the
fight."
