Front Porch Story Archives - Page 3 of 14 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

What Works in Recovery from Opioid Addiction

What works in recovery from opioid addiction, and how can we educate West Virginians about it?

That’s what we learn this week from Dr. Michael Brumage, new director of the Office of Drug Control Policy in West Virginia.

Welcome to “The Front Porch,” where we tackle the tough issues facing Appalachia the same way you talk with your friends on the porch.

Hosts include WVPB Executive Director and recovering reporter Scott Finn; economist Jessi Troyan of the free-market Cardinal Institute; and liberal columnist and avid goat herder Rick Wilson, who works for the American Friends Service Committee.

An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available at wvpublic.org and as a podcast as well.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org

The Front Porch is underwritten by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Charleston Gazette-Mail. Find the latest news, traffic and weather on its CGM App. Download it in your app store, and check out its website: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/

The Opportunity Cost of Opioid Addiction

$8.8 billion. That's what a new study estimates the opioid epidemic is costing the West Virginia economy every year.That's 12 percent of the state's GDP,…

$8.8 billion. That’s what a new study estimates the opioid epidemic is costing the West Virginia economy every year.

That’s 12 percent of the state’s GDP, and more than any other state.

On this week’s Front Porch podcast, we debate the opportunity cost of opioid addiction for our economy – and how we can get out of this mess.

The Front Porch is where we debate the tough issues facing Appalachia like you and your friends do, on your front porch.

Hosts are Scott Finn, grand poo-bah at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, joined by liberal columnist Rick Wilson of the American Friends Service Committee and Garrett Ballengee of the free-market Cardinal Institute.

Support from the The Front Porch comes from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Charleston Gazette-Mail.

Sustaining 'Sustained Outrage' after the Charleston Gazette-Mail Bankruptcy

Legendary Charleston Gazette Publisher Ned Chilton called it "sustained outrage." He said it wasn't enough to do a story or two about an injustice – it…

Legendary Charleston Gazette Publisher Ned Chilton called it “sustained outrage.” He said it wasn’t enough to do a story or two about an injustice – it took in-depth coverage to fix a wrong.

But with the Gazette-Mail going bankrupt, supporters are concerned about that tradition of investigative reporting. How can we keep accountability journalism healthy and strong in West Virginia?

On this week’s Front Porch podcast, we discuss the Gazette’s legacy – from a Pulitzer Prize just last year for uncovering a flood of prescription painkillers sent to rural West Virginia, to uncovering corruption that helped lead to two Governors going to prison.

We also talk about the need for non-profit and for-profit media to come together to do this sort of in-depth, accountability journalism.

And, there’s a bill to legalize noodling catfish in West Virginia. We’ll discuss.

(BTW, the West Virginia teacher walkout occurred after we taped this episode – we’ll discuss it next week!)

Welcome to “The Front Porch,” where we tackle the tough issues facing Appalachia the same way you talk with your friends on the porch.

Hosts include WVPB Executive Director and recovering reporter Scott Finn; economist Jessi Troyan of the free-market Cardinal Institute; and liberal columnist and avid goat herder Rick Wilson with the American Friends Service Committee.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org

Who Overdoses and Why?

Most people who overdose on opioids have seen a health care provider in the last year, and many had recently been released from jail, according to a new study from West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

This suggests that overdoses can be prevented with the right intervention.

Here are some of the findings, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

Eighty-one percent of people who died of overdose interacted with at least one type of health care provider in the 12 months prior to their death.
Ninety-one percent of all those who died had a documented history within the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy’s Controlled Substances Monitoring Program. In the 30 days prior to death, nearly half (49 percent) of females who died filled a controlled-substance prescription in the 30 days prior to death, as compared to 36 percent of males.
Those who died of overdose were three times more likely to have three or more prescribers, compared to the overall CSMP population. Those who died were more than 70 times likely to have prescriptions at four or more pharmacies, compared to the overall CSMP population.
Seventy-one of those who died of overdose used emergency medical services within the 12 months prior to their death. Only 31 percent of those who died had naloxone administration documented in their EMS record.
More than half (56 percent) of all those who died of overdose had been incarcerated. They were at an increased risk of death in the 30 days after their date of release, especially in those with only some high school education.
Males working in blue-collar industries with a higher risk of injury might be at an increased risk for overdose death.

On this week’s Front Porch podcast, we discuss how we can intervene to prevent overdoses.
In addition, we talk about a proposal to log in W.Va. State Parks, and another to eliminate multi-member Delegate districts in West Virginia.

How WVPB Is Fighting Opioid Addiction and Preparing Tomorrow's Workers

Gov. Justice’s second State of the State made full use of several props, two whiteboards and his entire girls’ basketball team.

Justice also laid out what he thought was really important in his speech. Here are two themes I heard: finally turning the corner on the opioid epidemic, and helping young people find technical and vocational careers.

We must turn the corner on the opioid epidemic: “The first thing we got to do is just this. We have to stop this terrible drug epidemic. We have to. If we don’t, it will cannibalize us.”

Young people need to know there are great jobs that require specialized training, not a four-year bachelors’ degree: “If you’re a student that wants to go into the trades…other kids may look down on you a little bit. It’s not fair. It’s not right. Some way we have got to let those kids know that we got to have them.”

Here at WVPB, we’ve been talking about how we can educate West Virginians around these two issues: workforce development and fighting opioid addiction.
The good news is, we’ve recently received a major grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for workforce development, called “American Graduate.” We’ll be working with partners to develop videos to educate young people, their parents, and educators about great careers that don’t require a four-year degree – and how to prepare for them.

And on the opioid epidemic, we’re working with experts to determine how we can help. What messages can WVPB create to educate the public and decrease the number of people dying from overdoses? Other states have turned the corner on this epidemic – WVPB wants to make 2018 the year West Virginia starts to improve.

If you have ideas for how we can prepare young people for careers, and how we can begin to win the fight against opioid addiction, let me know! I’m at sfinn@wvpublic.org.

West Virginia Jails Are in Crisis – What Should We Do?

How bad is the staffing crisis in West Virginia's jails and prisons?So bad, Gov. Jim Justice asked the National Guard to help with staffing. And he signed…

How bad is the staffing crisis in West Virginia’s jails and prisons?

So bad, Gov. Jim Justice asked the National Guard to help with staffing. And he signed an order allowing corrections employees to keep unused vacation time, because they’ve been forced to work so much overtime.

Even after a $1 an hour increase in September, starting wages for workers are only $24,600. There are more than 500 vacancies in the regional jail system, officials say, and the problem is only getting worse.

Last year, one dangerous man walked out of South Central Regional Jail, but wasn’t even noticed as missing until more than 24 hours later. Three jail employees were charged with the misdemeanor crime of allowing him to escape.

On the Front Porch podcast, we debate how to fix our correctional system, and where the money should come from. On this issue, our progressive and conservative hosts agree: it starts with reducing the number of people in our jails and prisons.

Welcome to “The Front Porch,” where we tackle the tough issues facing Appalachia the same way you talk with your friends on the porch.

Hosts include WVPB Executive Director and recovering reporter Scott Finn and liberal columnist and avid goat herder Rick Wilson, who works for the American Friends Service Committee. Guest host this week is economist Jessi Troyan of the free-market Cardinal Institute.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org