Amelia Knisely, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

DHHR Names Another Internal Promotion In Effort To Improve Agency

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources is creating a new top level of management in an effort to streamline internal communications and performance.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) is creating a new top level of management in an effort to streamline internal communications and performance.

DHHR Cabinet Secretary Bill Crouch said in a press release Tuesday that Christina Mullins will serve as his Deputy Secretary of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders.

Mullins most recently served as the Commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau for Behavioral Health since 2018. Mullins will oversee DHHR’s Bureau for Behavioral Health and the Office of Drug Control Policy.

“As a lifelong resident of West Virginia, I have seen firsthand how addiction and mental health disorders have affected our communities, but have also seen how West Virginians can make a difference when they work together toward a common goal,” Mullins said. “Gov. Justice and Secretary Crouch have made clear that addressing these issues are a priority and I will work hard to continue implementing data driven strategies to help our communities be healthier.”

Her appointment comes on the heels of an outside report that said DHHR needed to improve its internal communication in order to improve agency performance. Gov. Jim Justice requested an outside review of the agency after he vetoed a bill that would have split the state health department into two different agencies.

The McChrystal Group conducted the review then released its report in November, which was criticized by lawmakers for its $1 million price tag and lack of substance.

Lawmakers have questioned the largest state agency’s $7.5 billion budget while West Virginia is performing poorly in many health outcomes and has the highest percentage of children in foster care in the country.

This is the second internal promotion in two days as part of the agency’s response to the report. On Monday, Crouch announced he promoted Cammie Chapman as his Deputy Secretary of Child and Adult Services. Chapman previously served as associate general counsel for DHHR.

With More Deaths Reported, State Approaches Another Grim Pandemic Milestone

Ret. Maj. Gen. James A. Hoyer, who has helped lead the state’s pandemic response, noted that the state will soon hit another grim milestone.

As he has since the beginning of the pandemic, Gov. Jim Justice began his COVID-19 press conference Tuesday reading a list of names of the most recent deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total to 7,590.

Ret. Maj. Gen. James A. Hoyer, who has helped lead the state’s pandemic response, noted that the state will soon hit another grim milestone.

“In 11 more lost citizens in our state, we will have lost the equivalent of Pleasants County, West Virginia, to omicron deaths — primarily older West Virginians,” Hoyer said. “We’ve got to continue to press, as the governor points out, to get our older West Virginians that omicron booster.”

State Coronavirus Czar Clay Marsh noted that, nationwide, 29 percent of the people 65 and older have gotten the most recent booster shot.

The state’s COVID-19 cases have continued to decline, but Marsh said the newest COVID-19 variant is 175 times more infectious than the original COVID-19 virus. He said the newest variant is likely to be the dominant variant in West Virginia in the coming weeks.

“We are very concerned about the potential impact of this new variant coming to West Virginia,” Marsh said. “This is a time to act and avoid having really serious manifestations, particularly with the holidays coming up.”

State leaders urged residents to use the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ online vaccine calculator to stay up to date on vaccinations.

Parents Urged To Check Insurance Status Ahead Of Likely Winter Illness Surge

As medical experts warn parents of a possible "tridemic" of RSV, flu and COVID-19, a pediatrician says it’s a good time to check your child’s health insurance in order to avoid medical debt.

As medical experts warn parents of a possible “tridemic” of RSV, flu and COVID-19, a pediatrician says it’s a good time to check your child’s health insurance in order to avoid medical debt.

Around 60 percent of kids are covered by Medicaid or the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program, better known as CHIP.

Families using these programs for insurance coverage have been automatically re enrolled during the current COVID-19 federal public health emergency.

The public health emergency will remain in effect until mid-January, and the Department of Health and Human Services has promised to give 60 days’ notice ahead of letting the public health emergency expire.

But Dr. Jennifer Gerlach, vice president of the West Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said now is the time to verify children’s insurance status ahead of any federal changes or costly medical bills.

“We don’t want it to be a situation where it’s harder for parents to seek health care for their children because of their health insurance status,” Gerlach said. “We want to make sure everyone is covered … so West Virginia children can get help when they need it.”

Health care accounts for one of the country’s leading sources of debt, and NPR reported more than 100 million Americans are saddled with medical debt.

Gerlach, who also serves as the state’s medical consultant for CHIP, said Medicaid and CHIP applications are down 30 percent.

Once the public health emergency is lifted, families will have to re enroll in Medicaid and CHIP.

“We want to make sure families are re enrolled so they don’t lose their coverage,” Gerlach said.

Contact the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to check the status of Medicaid and CHIP coverage.

Manchin Seeks To Raise Awareness Of State’s 9,500 Homeless Students

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is leading a bipartisan effort in Washington, D.C. to designate this November as National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month.

There are more than 9,500 students experiencing homelessness in West Virginia.

Last school year, one in every four kids in Clay County was homeless, making it the highest rate in the state, according to data from the state education department.

These are kids who, under the federal definition, lack a permanent place to sleep, which includes kids living in cars or encampments and those who are in unstable sheltered conditions, like crashing on a friend’s couch.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is leading a bipartisan effort in Washington, D.C. to designate this November as National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month. He introduced the resolution Thursday alongside U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME.

The resolution is supported by several groups, including the American Federation of Teachers, the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the National Association of School Psychologists.

“Every child deserves to have a roof over their head and a warm, safe place to sleep at night,” Manchin said. “Ending homelessness among children and youth continues to be one of my top priorities, and it is more important than ever that we work together to address this heartbreaking issue.”

Since 2019, Manchin has announced millions of dollars in federal funding to address student homelessness in West Virginia.

Hunters Encouraged To Donate Deer Meat To Combat Hunger

The Division of Natural Resources sponsors the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program, which provides thousands of pounds of venison to needy families across the state.

Hunters are encouraged to donate deer meat in order to help families around the state in need of food.

The Division of Natural Resources sponsors the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program, which provides thousands of pounds of venison to needy families across the state.

One in seven adults in West Virginia struggle with hunger.

Hunters who wish to participate in the program can take their deer to a participating meat processor and the venison will be donated to the state’s food banks.

The Mountaineer Food Bank and Facing Hunger Foodbank pick up the venison and distribute it to their statewide network of 600 charitable food pantries, senior centers, shelters, churches and more.

According to the WVDNR, more than 1 million pounds of meat has been provided to needy families and individuals throughout West Virginia.

DHHR Says It Will Add New Positions To Improve Agency Performance

Gov. Jim Justice was light on details Wednesday about changes coming to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources following an outside report that showed how the agency could improve.

“Without question, we’ve got a lot of issues, but DHHR has always had tons of issues. The number one issue probably centers around communication,” Justice said in a virtual press conference. “We’ve got a lot of holes in the dyke we got to plug, and we’re on it.”

The report was put together by the McChyrstal Group at the request of the governor and released last week. The consultant group did not recommend splitting up the agency as lawmakers had tried to do earlier this year through legislation. Justice vetoed their bill.

The report said the agency required “bold organizational change” and recommended another level of leadership: new deputy commissioners and communication driven integration teams.

Justice met with DHHR Cabinet Secretary Bill Crouch earlier this week. Crouch said Wednesday that the agency will be adding new positions in response to the report. He did not say what the positions would be and said he wanted to discuss the details internally with staff before making any public announcements

“You will be hearing from DHHR within the next week with regard to some of these decisions. Most of these we do not need legislation for,” he said.

State lawmakers have criticized the report for its lack of detail and its $1 million price tag — Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, called it “a million-dollar nothing burger” – as the state is performing poorly in many health outcomes as outlined in the report.