COVID-19 Story Archives - Page 3 of 87 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Lawmakers Discuss Women’s Health Needs On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, many bills and amendments have been introduced in the state legislature this year that focus on women’s health policy. But feminine hygiene isn’t one of them. Briana Heaney talks with Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Del. Anitra Hamilton, D-Monongalia, about women’s health in the state and legislation that affects women.

On this West Virginia Morning, many bills and amendments have been introduced in the state legislature this year that focus on women’s health policy. But feminine hygiene isn’t one of them. Briana Heaney talks with Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Del. Anitra Hamilton, D-Monongalia, about women’s health in the state and legislation that affects women.

Also, in this show, aftereffects from the coronavirus pandemic continue to challenge our health care systems. The most recent spotlight is on Medicaid which offers health coverage for more than 90 million Americans with limited resources. After several years of continuous coverage, everyone must now reapply to determine eligibility. In a new episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay reports on how that process is going for residents of the Mountain State.

Kay talked with Deedra Toppings about her experience. She was covered by Medicaid when her headaches began eight years ago, but that changed. We listen to an excerpt from our latest episode. To hear this full episode, tune in to WVPB Radio on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. or on your own time at wvpublic.org.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas is our news director and producer.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Us & Them: Navigating Post-Pandemic Medicaid

Medicaid is undergoing a major review to determine the eligibility of millions, but not everyone is getting the notice. For this Us & Them, we look at changes to a health care safety net program that serves more than 90 million low-income Americans.

Our health care systems continue to struggle from aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The most recent example spotlights Medicaid — a joint federal and state program that provides health coverage for more than 90 million Americans with limited resources. After several years of continuous coverage, now everyone must reapply for eligibility.

In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay reports more than a quarter of West Virginia residents rely on Medicaid for their healthcare. It pays for three-quarters of West Virginia’s nursing home residents, and nearly half of the state’s school kids use Medicaid to pay for their annual checkups. However, the application process is finding many ineligible because of changes in personal information and contact data that weren’t updated in the system.

Join us as we look at the ‘unwinding’ of Medicaid, as millions of the nation’s most vulnerable struggle to maintain their health coverage.

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Daywood Foundation and the CRC Foundation.

Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.

Tricia Brooks, a research professor at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, parses out the nitty gritty details behind Medicaid access to explain how Medicaid coverage changed under the pandemic. The re-enrollment process for Medicaid involves millions of people, but the government cracking down on eligibility isn’t new. Like many safety net programs, Brooks told Us & Them’s Trey Kay that Medicaid is vulnerable to the push and pull of politics in Washington.

“In 2018, there were efforts made by the administration at that time to have a chilling effect on Medicaid and Medicaid enrollment for kids dropped by one million kids. And that same year, the uninsured rate for kids went up by a half a percentage point. We’d gotten down to about 5 percent uninsured kids. If we’ve lost 3.5 million, we’re talking about another 50 percent increase in the share of uninsured children in this country. And that would be a real travesty after decades of working to try to bring health coverage to almost every American child.” — Tricia Brooks, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families

*Photo Credit: Georgetown University*

Director Craig Robinson oversees Cabin Creek Health Systems, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in West Virginia. Cabin Creek, like other FQHCs, exists to give low-cost care to people in need. Robinson showed Trey Kay the 14-page Medicaid application the government sent out after the COVID-19 health emergency ended. He said people are required to fill it out and send it back, to determine their ongoing eligibility for Medicaid coverage.

“I’ve actually tried to complete it [the form] myself. And I couldn’t get through it because I couldn’t understand what they were asking for. They want to know about the situation of everybody in the family, including their medical situation. They want to know about your assets, and I had no idea that assets mattered in terms of Medicaid eligibility. I thought it was all income. But they’re asking for, what’s in your checking account, what’s in your savings account kind of thing. How do I fill this out in a way that I don’t mistakenly declare myself ineligible?” — Craig Robinson, director of Cabin Creek Health Systems, Charleston, West Virginia

*Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Jake Van Horn is a psychologist and community impact officer for Cabin Creek Health Systems in Charleston, West Virginia.

“It’s extremely short sighted to think that the upfront or initial investment in something like Medicaid doesn’t pay you dividends, in the long run. A community being better put together. Having better health care creates better employees, creates better employment opportunities, creates growth, creates better parents, creates better kids, creates better caregivers. People not struggling so much to maintain basic health, does create a more advantageous society.” — Jake Van Horn, Cabin Creek Health Systems, Charleston, West Virginia

*Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Katie May, psychologist and clinical director for Cabin Creek Health System’s Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Program, said that many of her substance use disorder patients don’t have time to parse through Medicaid’s 14-page re-enrollment form that’s full of legalese.

“Some of them might be experiencing homelessness. I was on Medicaid during graduate school and just graduated a while ago. And so when they started doing these annual reviews again, I was getting call after call from Medicaid to do my reviews and I was thinking, ‘How are my patients missing these reviews? They won’t leave me alone.’ But it’s also a privilege that I’ve had the same phone number for 15 years and that I have an address forwarding that they were able to keep up with me. Some of my patients, for various reasons, have a different cell phone number every couple months. Whether it’s their phone is being stolen; they’re losing their phone; they can’t afford a service and are having to change services. So, yes, a 14-page application, but that’s even if they get it. And then my patients are coming in and the first time that they’re finding out about this is us telling them, ‘Oh, it looks like your Medicaid has expired.’ And then there’s panic, of course, because that’s how they get their treatment. That’s how they get lifesaving medication.” — Katie May, Cabin Creek Health Systems, Charleston, West Virginia

*Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

It’s true that publicly funded medical insurance opens the door for a lot of Americans to take better care of their health. Deedra Toppings, from Branchland, West Virginia, has had significant health challenges, some of which came during the pandemic when she was not working and eligible for Medicaid. COVID-19-era policies gave Deedra’s family a taste of stable insurance that actually worked for them. But when she returned to work, the circumstances changed. As Medicaid returns to business as usual, people are losing resources that made their lives better.

“I feel like we’re being punished because we want to work and we want to better our lives and make sure our children have what they need. When I didn’t work, and we didn’t want more for our lives, we would get the Medicaid and it would help with the hospital bills, the doctor bills, whatever. But because we both want to work, I mean, we do not make a ton of money, we don’t have extras, we don’t have all of this stuff. It just kind of feels like we’re punished, because when we work, then we don’t get the help that I necessarily need for my health.” — Deedra Toppings, Branchland, West Virginia

*Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

James Hairston, 63, is a disabled coal miner living in St. Albans, West Virginia. He told Trey Kay that his disability occurred when “1,800 pounds of sandstone and coal” collapsed on him and pinned him to the mine floor. Hairston and his wife are both disabled. He used to get Medicaid benefits, which meant he could use home health care. That provided help with household chores and meals. He didn’t see it as a handout, just some help. Under the COVID-19 emergency declaration, Hairston couldn’t be removed from Medicaid. But once that ended, the state reported that he made too much to qualify.

“It’s a real hurting feeling. I’ve worked to provide a good living for my wife and kids. It’s hard for me to look at it and say, ‘Well, you know, you cut me off.’ And I didn’t bring this pain and all this stuff to myself. It’s just, I mean, I love what I was doing and I miss it so bad and I still had a lot of good years left in me.” — James Hairston

*Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

James Hairston shows the crack in the miner’s helmet that he was wearing the day the mine ceiling fell in on him and ended his coal mining career.

*Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Eric Hicks works with a range of Medicaid clients, including James Hairston, through the local home care company he runs called Right At Home. Right At Home is a nationwide franchise and in West Virginia, most of the company’s business comes from Medicaid patients. Hicks says when the government stops paying for a person’s home care, it puts families in a bind. Most times, they’ll try to find friends or family to help out. If that’s not available, the only other alternative is often a skilled nursing facility.

Trey Kay asked Hicks what Medicaid gives someone like James Hairston. The answer is simple: autonomy.

“There is absolutely a place for skilled nursing facilities and the services that they provide. When a person graduates from in-home care, that’s where they go, because we cannot meet all their needs. But it’s that gap in between, that people want to stay at home and they have the ability to stay at home if they have a little bit of assistance. They want to have all their things that they have at home and not be forced to leave their home to go to a place that they’re not comfortable with. A lot of people don’t want to be in a more institutionalized setting, they want to be able to comfortably have as many of their family and friends over to visit whenever they want to come by, not be restricted by time constraints, et cetera.” — Eric Hicks, president of Right at Home, Charleston, West Virginia

*Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Check out our colleague Emily Rice’s AP of the Virginias award-nominated series Unwinding Medicaid.

Former DHHR Official Pleads Guilty In COVID Test Fraud Case

A West Virginia man pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal investigators while he was an official with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

Timothy Priddy, 49, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to making a false statement. Priddy admitted that he lied to federal investigators about the verification of invoices for COVID-19 testing that he certified while an official with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR).

According to court documents and statements made in court, Priddy was interviewed by federal agents on Aug. 2, 2022 while he was the director of the DHHR’s Center for Threat Preparedness.

In his previous position as Deputy Director, his duties included reviewing and verifying the accuracy of certain invoices submitted to the DHHR by vendors supplying COVID-19 testing and mitigation services before certifying the invoices for payment.

The agents asked Priddy about invoices submitted by a particular vendor that had billed the state of West Virginia tens of millions of dollars for COVID-19 testing and related services.

One series of invoices of interest to the federal investigation related to a COVID-19 testing program for K-12 students, faculty and staff returning to school after the winter holiday break.

Priddy certified the K-12 testing program invoices without making any effort to verify their accuracy. Priddy falsely told the agents that he certified the invoices only after two individuals working with the K-12 testing program verified the invoices involved.

Priddy admitted that he knew that statement was false.

William Thompson, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, said this case is unique in COVID-19 fraud cases he is trying in that Priddy stood nothing to gain financially in committing his crimes.

“He just basically cost the state quite a bit of money by not doing his job and not following through on it,” Thompson said.

Priddy is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua Hanks and Holly Wilson are prosecuting the case.

Priddy-Plea Download

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Renewable Energy Progress And Combating COVID-19 Relief Fraud, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, illegally obtaining COVID-19 relief funds is being called “the greatest fraud of our generation.” One of the front liners in investigating COVID-19 fraud is Northern West Virginia U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld. Randy Yohe spoke with the federal prosecutor about the extent of this crime against taxpayers, and how the public can help fight back.

On this West Virginia Morning, illegally obtaining COVID-19 relief funds is being called “the greatest fraud of our generation.” One of the front liners in investigating COVID-19 fraud is Northern West Virginia U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld. Randy Yohe spoke with the federal prosecutor about the extent of this crime against taxpayers, and how the public can help fight back.

Also, in this show, The Allegheny Front, based in Pittsburgh, is a public radio program that reports on environmental issues in the region. We listen to their latest story about the progress toward renewable energy.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Conference Aims To Help Teachers Teach Troubled Students

School mental health professionals from across the state had the opportunity to learn how to address mental health challenges and more in their classrooms.

The state Department of Education hosted a conference in Charleston to raise awareness of trauma, opioid addiction, and mental health challenges in schools, and to provide teachers, school counselors and other professionals with tools and strategies to address these issues.

The Student Support Conference is being held Nov. 29 through Nov. 30 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.

David Lee is the director of student support and wellbeing for the West Virginia Department of Education. He said teachers, and especially new teachers, aren’t always equipped to handle what they see in a classroom.

“So how do I know what to look for, for the emotional problems of a child? How do I address those issues? How do I learn to de-escalate situations in my classroom?” Lee said.

The conference is a chance to support professionals who are working in schools by teaching them ways to identify and address mental health and trauma in their students to better help them succeed in school and life.

“We’re dealing with kids that are coming from very difficult situations at home, and they’re walking in school, and we’re expecting them to just be normal, and that’s not possible with some of the situations that they are facing,” Lee said. “So how do we address that? How do we work with the counselors? How do we work with communities and schools?”

According to Lee, student mental health issues continue to rise because of the ongoing opioid epidemic in the state and recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve got to start teaching behaviors because we got kids that come to school that have no clue about behaviors,” Lee said. “Did COVID have a lot to do with that? It did, yes. But we’ve had these problems before. They’ve been masking a lot of ways, but now they are really showing their true colors right now, because of the isolation that kids went through.”

Lee said he hopes this training makes teachers proactive in their classrooms and teaches them to act instead of react to potential behavioral issues that may arise from problems at home.

“You’re not gonna solve all the problems in high school right now, that’s not going to happen,” Lee said. “But you’ve got to start a building block and I really think in the K through three, teaching those behaviors, modeling those behaviors and what it should be like, is a good foundation.”

Us & Them: Diminished Trust In Science

Science and research can lead to important breakthroughs, but in a divided America, not everyone trusts the results. In this Us & Them, host Trey Kay speaks with three expert guests before an audience full of curious people at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia and asks: How shaken is our confidence in scientists and the scientific process?

Polls and surveys report our confidence is eroding and that we’ve lost trust in one another and in some of our most essential institutions.

As a followup to an Us & Them event in September at West Virginia University (WVU) on trust in the media, host Trey Kay has a new conversation focused on our trust in science. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present examples of our differing confidence in science and medicine, but there are other flash points.

We continue the abortion debate with the central question of when life begins. A few decades ago, evolution was in the spotlight with divisions over the origins of the universe, and of our own species. Now, climate change clearly illustrates our varying understanding about how the world is changing. All of those topics place a spotlight on our confidence in science.

There was a time when scientific advances were heralded – they saved lives, they told us more about our world. But now, some see scientists as villains who are not always worthy of our trust.

Have we simply lost interest in scientists or in the scientific process?

Join us for a new Us & Them from a recent live event on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Daywood Foundation and the CRC Foundation.

Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.