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Appalachians have always made use of the region’s wide variety of plants. A new book, called Appalachian Plants: In the Garden, In the Yard, and In the Wild, explores some of the history and lore of regional staples. It’s written by Linda Hager Pack and illustrated by Pat Banks. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with them.
Data Viz: As Overdose Deaths Increase in West Virginia, So Do Administrations of Naloxone
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A bill aiming to stave off West Virginia’s problems with heroin and prescription opioid overdose deaths goes into effect Wednesday. The Opioid Antagonist Act expands access to the life saving drug Naloxone, allowing addicts and family members the ability to purchase the medicine through a prescription.
For years, paramedics and EMTs have administered the drug to those who’ve overdosed. But with heroin and other opioid overdose deaths on the rise, the West Virginia Legislature decided to allow for greater access.
“So many families have been affected by [addiction],” House Speaker Tim Armstead said of the bill. “Addiction to drugs is a huge challenge for our state and if we’re going to really put our house in order and move our state forward, we have to address it.”
According to data provided by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, nearly 6,000 doses of Naloxone have been administered since 2012. Statewide totals of the medicine’s use have increased yearly.
Hover over/click on a county on the map below to see yearly numbers and 2012-2014 totals for administrations of Naloxone. Click outside of West Virginia on the map to reset the view.
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West Virginia received $199 million in the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program. Dr. Arvin Singh, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health, told lawmakers he expects the state's level of funding to remain the same next year.
Many West Virginians may not remember the name Doris “Dorie” Miller, but he served on the USS West Virginia when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor. While Miller was never trained to fight, he raced to the deck on the day of the attack and fought back - shooting down at least one enemy plane. In 2020, a new aircraft was commissioned by the U.S. Navy and named for Miller. But recent stories have surfaced with talk of renaming it after President Donald Trump. We speak with Scott Womack, the commander of American Legion Post 100 in Monroe, West Virginia, to discuss the group’s recent resolution that the Navy should retain Miller’s name on the ship.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control found that black lung rates are the highest they’ve been since the 1970s. The disease can be debilitating, even for young miners. Justin Hicks reported for the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom on the new CDC report. Longtime investigative reporter Howard Berkes assisted, continuing his years of reporting on black lung, as previously featured on Inside Appalachia. Following the story’s release, Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams reached out to dig deeper.
This week, in author Willie Carver, Jr.’s new book, he reconsiders a negative childhood experience with a neighborhood girl who might have just been looking for a friend. Also, a southwestern Virginia community rang the alarm after more and more of its children were diagnosed with cancer. A local journalist is trying to unravel the cause. And, the city of Asheville has a new crusading reporter. He’s a puppet.