Opioid Recovery Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

W.Va. Peer Recovery Support Specialist Wins National Award

A peer recovery support specialist at a Marshall-based recovery program has won the Cornerstone Award.

The award honors an individual or organization that has gone above and beyond to support students in recovery.

Aaron Blankenship is a West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network (WVCRN) team member and recovery support specialist at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College.

“Through his unwavering dedication and tireless efforts, Aaron Blankenship exemplifies the essence of the ARHE Cornerstone Award for Student Support,” said Dr. Pamela Alderman, president of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. “His commitment to going above and beyond in supporting students in recovery transforms lives and serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for our community. We celebrate Aaron’s profound impact and recognize him as a cornerstone of support for those navigating the recovery journey.”

The WVCRN is housed within the Marshall University Research Corporation with support from the Marshall University Center of Excellence for Recovery.

Blankenship will accept his award at the National Collegiate Recovery Conference in San Diego, California this summer.

According to one of his peers, Hattie Newsome, student success coordinator for Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, Blankenship’s own recovery gave him the empathy and drive to work passionately with students and the recovery community.

“He inspires those in recovery by showing them they can achieve sobriety, goals and their dreams can come true,” she said.

Recovery Day Draws Crowds At W.Va. Capitol

Advocates and recovery experts filled the capitol rotunda on Monday to educate lawmakers about substance use disorder.

One of the big issues facing people in recovery is reintegrating into society.

Nic Cochran is the director of Youth Services System, an organization that helps people in recovery reintegrate into society after incarceration or treatment at a rehab facility.

“We exclusively work with people who have a substance use disorder,” Cochran said. “But yes, recovery is a broad term because we also have to talk about reentry, the impacts of incarceration on the people with SUD (substance use disorder) is massive, we see so many people incarcerated.”

In a partnership with recovery homes and Uplift West Virginia, Youth Services System displayed a memorial to the people in the state lost to overdose.

“So we’re inviting people to write the names of anyone lost to overdose on the bricks, or to light a candle if they don’t feel comfortable writing the name,” Cochran said. “But the candles are also representing somebody who we wish was in recovery, or maybe somebody who used to be in recovery, or, or even people who are still in recovery, and we just want to celebrate that.”

Cochran said a big part of Recovery Day is to be a visible example for lawmakers to break down stigma.

“Substance use disorder is criminalized so heavily,” Cochran said. “We really need additional support in order to recover, in order to have treatment and to be rehabilitated so that we can become contributing members of society. So if I had anything to say to legislators, that’s what it would be, you know, we’re people, please treat us like people. And let’s get over the stigma.”

The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute was also featured at Recovery Day. Their receptionist, Rhiannon Wiseman, said she was there to educate the public and lawmakers about the One Box.

“The One Box is an opioid overdose response kit. You open it up, it’ll walk you through an overdose step by step,” Wiseman said. “Now whether you, a lot of people, can’t respond to an overdose or any traumatic circumstances – they kind of freak out. There’s no guesswork. It walks you right through it.”

Wiseman said it is important to have harm reduction resources like One Box available everywhere.

“Opioid overdose can happen absolutely anywhere in homes, businesses, schools, libraries, doctor’s office, it doesn’t matter,” Wiseman said. “They happen everywhere now.”

Wiseman added that Naloxone, or Narcan, is safe for everyone and encouraged others to be trained in administering the opioid overdose reversal drug.

Foundation To Distribute Opioid Funds Holds First Meeting

The first meeting of the West Virginia First Foundation took place Monday morning in Charleston.

Through settlements from various lawsuits with opioid manufacturers and distributors, West Virginia stands to gain about $1 billion over the next 10 to 15 years to be spent for recovery and prevention programs.

To ensure the money is used correctly, the West Virginia Legislature created the West Virginia First Foundation to distribute those settlement funds.

The organization held its first meeting on Monday and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey reminded the board how the money can be spent.

“Anything that is related to the drug epidemic would be permissible, whether it is education, prevention, treatment, law enforcement or other matters,” Morrisey said.

The board elected its chair, Matt Harvey, Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney, and vice chair, Dr. Matthew Christiansen, who also serves as the state health officer and commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau of Public Health.

The board also elected its treasurer as Jeff Sandy, former secretary of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security and its secretary, Dora Stutler, Harrison County Schools superintendent.

The board includes 11 members, six selected by the counties and five appointed by the governor. All six regions elected their representatives via a quorum of elected officials from the towns, cities and counties of each region.

The foundation will handle 72.5 percent of the state’s settlement funds, while 24.5 percent will go to local governments. The state will hold the remaining 3 percent in escrow to cover any outstanding attorney’s fees.

Each region is represented by their elected representative:

Region 1: Steven Corder
Region 2: Tim Czaja
Region 3: Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce
Region 4: Jonathan Board
Region 5: Dr. Matthew Christiansen
Region 6: Dr. Tony Kelly

Per the memorandum of understanding that frames the settlement distribution, board members will serve staggered terms of three years.

Representatives from Huntington Bank were present at the meeting because they served as the escrow agent to the foundation, free of charge.

The board voted to open an account with Huntington Bank, then moved into executive session for the remainder of the afternoon.

Organizers Celebrate Success Of Save A Life Day

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.

W.Va. Receives $4.4 Million To Fight Opioids

Federal funding was awarded to West Virginia in response to the overdose risk from fentanyl and other opioids.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration announced $4,404,303 in awards to rural communities in West Virginia on Thursday.

“We designed this program to really help rural communities get this kind of support they need to expand access to opioid use disorder treatment, to address the critical needs of families, who are struggling with addiction issues to focus on prevention, treatment and recovery,” Carole Johnson, the administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration said.

These investments aim to expand access to medication to treat opioid use disorder and prevent and address neonatal exposure.

Expanding Access to Medication to Treat Opioid Use Disorder: $2,000,000 will support two awards to rural communities to establish treatment sites for individuals to access medications to treat opioid use disorder. The use of medication to manage opioid use disorder is the standard of care, but not always readily available.
Preventing and Addressing Neonatal Exposure: $2,404,303 will support five awards to develop and implement interventions in rural communities to prevent, treat and care for opioid exposed infants by focusing on systems of care, family supports, and social determinants of health.

Award recipients include the Marshall University Research Corporation, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Clinic, Inc., Community Care of West Virginia, Inc., the Logan County Commission, Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center, Inc., West Virginia Perinatal Partnership Inc., and the West Virginia University Research Corporation.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

Governor Appoints Five To Opioid Settlement Board

Gov. Jim Justice announced his five appointments to the board of the West Virginia First Foundation.

In a press release, the appointments were listed as:

Matt Harvey – Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney, representing Region 2.
Jeff Sandy – Former Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, representing Region 3.
Dora Stutler – Harrison Superintendent of Schools, representing Region 4.
Alys Smith – Attorney and Philanthropist, representing Region 5.
Greg Duckworth – Raleigh County Commissioner and retired State Trooper, representing Region 6.

During the 2023 regular session the West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 674 formally recognizing the West Virginia First Foundation. The foundation is designed to direct the spending of settlement funds from opioid litigation the state has engaged in. It is estimated the settlements could amount to $1 billion over the next 10 to 15 years.

The foundation will handle 72.5 percent of the state’s settlement funds, while 24.5 percent will go to local governments. The remaining three percent will be held by the state in escrow to cover any outstanding attorney’s fees.

The board includes 11 members, six selected by the counties and five appointed by the governor. All six regions elected their representatives in July via a quorum of elected officials from the towns, cities and counties of each region.

Those previously elected members of the board are:

Region 1: Steven Corder
Region 2: Tim Czaja
Region 3: Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce
Region 4: Jonathan Board
Region 5: Dr. Matthew Christiansen
Region 6: Dr. Tony Kelly

A search for the foundation’s executive director is underway.