On this West Virginia Morning, a West Virginia based nonprofit is filling a therapeutic need for veterans and first responders by training service dogs. Caroline MacGregor has the story.
On this West Virginia Morning, a West Virginia based nonprofit is filling a therapeutic need for veterans and first responders by training service dogs. Caroline MacGregor has the story.
Also, in this show, the Biden administration is asking Congress for domestic supplemental funding to assist with the opioid crisis and child care costs — some of which would come to West Virginia. Emily Rice reports.
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 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
The Biden-Harris administration is asking Congress for domestic supplemental funding to assist with the opioid crisis and child care costs — some of which would come to West Virginia.
The Biden-Harris administration is asking Congress for domestic supplemental funding to assist with the opioid crisis and child care costs — some of which would come to West Virginia.
If adopted, West Virginia would receive an estimated $39 million to counter fentanyl trafficking and strengthen addiction treatment, overdose prevention measures and recovery support services.
Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in West Virginia, about 76 percent of the overdose deaths that occurred between May 2022 and May 2023 are due to synthetic opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl.
“From this year to the previous year, West Virginia saw, I think, almost 1,500 deaths from overdose, most of those opioid overdoses, and the lion’s share today is driven by fentanyl,” Becerra said. “And so the $1.6 billion that the president is requesting in emergency funding for opioids would really help us target fentanyl. And let states try to make sure that they can catch someone before they overdose.”
According to provisional data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, for a 12-month period ending in May 2023, 1,184 West Virginians died of an opioid overdose.
West Virginia also stands to gain $107 million for child care, if the domestic supplemental funding request is adopted by Congress.
Becerra said pandemic-era child care stabilization increased the labor force participation for mothers with young children by an additional three percentage points.
“The president’s request is to help extend funding for many of those child care centers, over 61,000 children and their families in West Virginia benefited from those funds, and at least 1,600 childcare providers,” Becerra said. “I think the average cost of childcare in West Virginia is somewhere around $9,000. And we know that the stabilization funds end up saving families over $1,000 a year in their childcare expense per child.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the price of child care for an infant in West Virginia is $8,736 per year.
The number of Naloxone doses distributed on Save A Life Day more than doubled this year.
All 13 Appalachian states hosted more than 300 events on Save A Life Day and distributed more than 45,000 doses of naloxone.
Naloxone is a medication that works to reverse opioid overdoses. One common brand is Narcan, an easy-to-use nasal spray.
In 2020, the first Save A Life Day was organized by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) in partnership with SOAR WV, a Charleston-based community group with the stated goal of promoting the health, dignity, and voices of individuals who are impacted by drug use.
This year, the Bureau for Behavioral Health provided $600,000 worth of naloxone in West Virginia and distributed 29,438 doses to community organizations and individuals across the state.
“The expansion of Appalachian Save a Life Day across multiple states underscores our relentless pursuit of saving lives and providing hope to those affected by the opioid crisis,” said Rachel Thaxton, Interim Director for DHHR’s ODCP. “Together with our partners, we have not only made naloxone more accessible but have also opened the door to a brighter future for individuals and families in need.”
Three years since the effort began in just two counties, more than 180 counties across 13 states participated and distributed more than 45,000 naloxone doses throughout Appalachia.
According to Iris Sidikman, the Appalachian Save a Life Day Coordinator with SOAR, about 20,000 doses were distributed last year.
“One of the most moving things about Save A Life Day, to me is watching people take this idea, this idea that we had and this work that we’ve done, and bring it to their community, all the way up and down the country,” Sidikman said. “That, I think, has been the most meaningful part to me.”
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.
In 2015, Nellis Elementary School closed and left behind a vacant building. Meanwhile, residents had been wanting a place to meet, and serve the community.
In 2015, Nellis Elementary School closed and left behind a vacant building. Meanwhile, residents had been wanting a place to meet, and serve the community.
That’s when Anita Perdue had the idea to turn the empty building into a community center.
“We’ve always wanted one, So when we saw the opportunity to take something and refurbish it into something that was needed, we jumped on the opportunity,” Perdue said.
Perdue says when they first accepted ownership of the building the organization had no money. The next week they received a grant of $50,000.
Briana Heaney/ West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Thus the B.A.R.N. was created – an acronym for the communities it initially served: Brushton, Ashford, Ridgeview and Nellis. Now it is partnered with the Boone County Family Support center to support a greater area.
The organization provides free items and services to the community and gives community members a place to meet. They host events, often in partnership with other government or community organizations.
The Center has kits for the homeless that include portable grills, sleeping bags, warm clothes, and sleeping pads.
Briana Heaney/ West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Vaccinations And Christmas Celebrations
Last week the B.A.R.N. hosted the Boone County Department of Health in their community events room for a flu shot drive. Wanda Smith attended the event and got this year’s flu shot along with her husband, Luther and daughter Nioka Righter.
Luther Smith receives his annual flu shot. Workers at the health department said that meeting individual in the communities where they are comfortable helps overcome fear of vaccinations and get more residents vaccinated.
Credit: Briana Heaney/ West Virginia Public Broadcasting
All five of her kids went to Nellis Elementary. Now they come to the building for shots and their great grandchildren’s little league games. This year Wanda Smith is hosting her 14 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren at the B.A.R.N. for Thanksgiving.
“It’s really nice. We have a huge family. So we have our Thanksgiving and Christmas here in the gym. Every year for Christmas and Thanksgiving since it was a community center,” she said.
B.A.R.N. also provides resources for the community like free clothing, library books, WiFi, free meals, pet food, hygienic products, vaccines, cleaning supplies, fitness classes, meal delivery services – and the list goes on.
The Center has a clothing shop were all the clothing is free.
Briana Heaney/ West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Grassroots Valley
Dakota Smith is the director of the B.A.R.N. and helps keep everything from clothes to food stocked and ready for the community.
“This is one of our food pantry rooms. We have two refrigerators and two freezers. We’re hoping to add to the funding so we can get more meat for our community,” Dakota Smith said.
Dakota Smith has been with the organization since 2020.
Briana Heaney/ West Virginia Public Broadcasting
He said the organization has a few different sources of food for families through different partnerships with organizations like the U.S. Department of Agriculture where they get free food, and the Mountaineer Food Bank where they get foods at deeply reduced rates.
“As it stands right now, we’re serving between 250 and 350 families or individuals a month. And that’s not quite good enough. So we’re seeking to expand our funding,” he said.
The organization is collaborating with the Boone Animal Rescue Coalition, or BARC, to offer free pet supplies for community members in need.
Briana Heaney/ West Virginia Public Broadcasting
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 4 Boone County residents live in poverty. Boone County was also a region devastated by the opioid epidemic, which at one point had 1 in 4 residents receiving an opioid prescription and continues to see overdoses from opioids.
“The needs are great. And also I think that you know, I’m a believer in God. And I think that that’s what we’re here for us to serve one another. I really do,” Perdue said.
She said this grass roots community center exemplifies the heart and soul of Appalachian mountain living.
An event that started in West Virginia’s Kanawha Valley has now spread to all 13 federally recognized Appalachian states.
All 13 Appalachian states will be hosting more than 300 events on September 14 to distribute Naloxone.
Save a Life Day organizers started in 2020 with a two-county pilot project in West Virginia, which then expanded to 17 counties in 2021, and last year all 55 West Virginia counties participated.
Naloxone is a medication that works to reverse opioid overdoses. One common brand is Narcan, an easy-to-use nasal spray.
Now, just three years since the effort began, West Virginia-based SOAR is working with more than 180 counties across 13 states.
SOAR is a Charleston-based community group with the stated goal of promoting the health, dignity, and voices of individuals who are impacted by drug use.
Iris Sidikman, who goes by they/them pronouns, is the Appalachian Save a Life Day Coordinator with SOAR.
“You never know when you might need that,” Sidikman said. “You might see someone overdose in a grocery store parking lot at a park by your house like best case scenario, you have it and you know how to use it and you never have to.”
On this West Virginia Morning, a summit at Marshall University will explore critical interventions against xylazine in the opioid crisis. Also, in this show, this week’s Inside Appalachia episode makes a visit to the Flat Five Studio in western Virginia.
On this West Virginia Morning, a summit at Marshall University will explore critical interventions against xylazine in the opioid crisis. Emily Rice has more.
Also, in this show, this week’s Inside Appalachia episode makes a visit to the Flat Five Studio in western Virginia, which began as a shop that recorded bluegrass musicians, but then caught a big break in the early 1990s. Mason Adams has more.
And, our Mountain Stage Song of the Week comes to us from Loudon Wainwright III. We listen to his performance of “Suddenly It’s Christmas.” The song originally appeared on his 1993 live album Career Moves.
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 Concord University and Shepherd University.
Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schultz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.
Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schultz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.
Teresa Wills is our host.
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
