Funding Story Archives - Page 2 of 7 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Federal Money Helps Fund Wide Array Of State Programs

Millions of federal dollars are coming to the state for a variety of programs ranging from affordable housing to mental health training.

Millions of federal dollars are coming to the state for a variety of programs.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, Tuesday announced more than $12 million for projects ranging from affordable housing to mental health training.

More than $1 million from the Appalachian Regional Commission will support increasing staffing and strengthening administrative capacities for 13 projects across the state.

The bulk of the money, close to $10 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will bolster 20 community-based efforts across the state to address homelessness.

The largest individual awards will go to the Huntington, West Virginia Housing Authority and the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, that will each receive close to $1.8 million to help connect individuals and families currently experiencing homelessness with vital supportive services.

Additionally, $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program will be split between West Virginia University and Concord University to support the training of school-based mental health service providers for employment in schools and local educational agencies across West Virginia.

The program provides funding to establish innovative partnerships between institutions of higher education and local schools and educational agencies. It trains school counselors, social workers, psychologists and other mental health professionals qualified to provide school-based mental health services, with the goal of expanding the pipeline of these workers into low-income public schools to address shortages of school-based mental health service professionals.

State’s Public Libraries Seek Funding For Maintenance, Expanded Services

Monday was Library Day at the West Virginia Legislature. The day was a celebration of public libraries throughout the state, but also an opportunity to request funding.

Libraries are best known for their books, but in recent years they’ve expanded their offerings to include everything from board games to power tools. They can also be a gathering place for communities.

Erika Connelly, the library director of the Kanawha County Public Library system, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries became even more critical for community connection.

“Libraries became very, very important during COVID to connect people with internet, with Wi-Fi hotspots,” Connelly said. “We got creative to get information to our communities with take-home crafts, and online storytime. These are our goals, to continue those great services to our communities.”

According to Connelly, West Virginia ranks among the lowest states in terms of funding for public libraries, and state aid hasn’t increased in more than a decade.

“We have a line item in the budget, it’s been zero for several years. It’s $5 million for capital improvements, deferred maintenance. We’re in a lot of old buildings in our communities, and in our towns,” she said. “We’re also looking for $2 million in supplemental funds. West Virginia lost a lot of population. As a result, a lot of counties lost library funding, so we’re looking to replace that with $2 million.”

According to the West Virginia Library Association, in 2017 the state’s public libraries evaluated their building needs to be more than $56 million.

Connelly said West Virginians value their freedom to read and express themselves, and libraries continue to stand for that First Amendment right.

“There’s a lot of legislation that targets libraries, school libraries in particular, that are alarming and concerning,” she said. “We just want to make sure that we’re here to uphold the First Amendment. We want everybody to have the freedom to read what they want. It’s a parent’s choice what their children read.”

Health Centers Receive Millions To Bolster Services

Health care services in West Virginia will receive $3.4 million to strengthen services.

In a joint press release, Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito announced the funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The money will be divided among the Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers, the Tug River Health Association and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

“Our healthcare providers continue to go above and beyond to care for their fellow West Virginians, and we must ensure they have the resources they need to support healthy, safe communities,” Manchin said. “I’m pleased HHS is investing more than $3.4 million to strengthen job training services and technical assistance projects at the Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers and the Tug River Health Association, as well as enhance maternal and child health services throughout the state. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this funding, and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to ensure quality, affordable health services for every West Virginian across the Mountain State.”

The HHS Maternal and Child Health Improvement Projects Program awarded $21,100 to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to support maternal and child health services throughout the Mountain State.

This program provides funding to states and non-profit organizations across the U.S. to help provide critical services, including parental education, pregnancy support and home visit resources.

The HHS Health Center Cluster Program awarded $1,749,862 to the Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers and $1,664,105 to the Tug River Health Association to strengthen job training and technical assistance projects.

“This vital funding empowers health care workers across West Virginia to continue and improve their services across the state,” Capito said. “HHS’s multi-million dollar investment will improve the Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers, Tug River Health Association and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to educate workers and help new parents get access to what they need. I look forward to seeing the opportunities this funding offers our state.”

Funding For Summer Food Program Approved

Tens of millions of dollars in federal funds have been approved to help feed West Virginia students over the summer.

The West Virginia Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program has received close to $100 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

The money will provide a payment of close to $400 per child to access healthy food and meals through the summer months. Those who receive free or reduced-price meals, along with younger children in households participating in SNAP and attending certain child care institutions, qualify for the payment.

In their announcement, the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) advised that students who have experienced a change in status should contact their school before July 31 to complete a free/reduced-price meal application.

At the end of 2021, the WVDE found that nearly 78 percent of students enrolled in public schools qualified as “needy.”

The funds were made available in part by the American Rescue Plan, and are up from a 2021 approval of more than $97 million.

The WVDE said households can expect to receive the one-time benefit in August. An exact date will be announced at a later time.

Visit wvpebt.org for general updates and information.

W.Va. To Receive Federal Funds To Help Health System

Two programs in West Virginia will receive close to $2 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Two programs in West Virginia will receive close to $2 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The money will go to support drug treatment and healthcare access.

About half the money, $1 million, will help combat the drug epidemic through Healthways in Weirton and its Rural Communities Opioid Response (RCORP) implementation.

RCORP is a multi-year initiative by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of HHS. It aims to reduce the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder in rural communities at the highest risk.

In a joint press release with Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito highlighted the need for community resources to combat the state’s opioid epidemic.

“The opioid epidemic has touched each of us one way or another, but investing in community-based solutions can help pull individuals from the grip of addiction and set them on the path toward recovery,” Capito said.

Just under $1 million will go to the West Virginia Primary Care Association, the largest organized primary care network in the state. The funding will support local health systems through their Health Center Controlled Network.

“West Virginia’s health clinics and centers are the backbone of our healthcare system, and I am pleased HHS is investing in these two programs as they continue to provide essential healthcare services,” Manchin said.

NIH Funding Helps Create New Program At WVU

West Virginia University (WVU) is launching a new training program focused on the community health impacts of air pollution.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded WVU $1.7 million for a toxicology training program which will bridge the disciplines of toxicology and systems-based medicine.

“One of my big concerns with modern science is that students don’t fully appreciate how our body systems work,” said Timothy Nurkiewicz, director of the WVU Inhalation Facility, in a press release.

He said students will study the various systems of the body and determine how inhalation of specific toxicants impacts their function and health.

According to the university’s press release, toxicologists who have that blend of expertise can be especially important to public health in Appalachia, where chronic conditions and exposure to airborne toxicants often overlap.

Over a five year period, 40 doctoral students will collect air samples in the local environment and analyze them in WVU’s Inhalation Facility to assess their toxicity.