U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Story Archives

Two W.Va. Head Start Programs Receive Federal Funds

Millions of federal dollars will help early childhood education and development in the Mountain State.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded close to $13 million for two Head Start programs in West Virginia.

Head Start supports early childhood education and emotional development from birth to age 5, as well as providing health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families.

Close to $8 million will go to the Southwestern Community Action Council which services Wayne, Lincoln, Cabell, and Mason Counties.

The remaining amount – more than $5 million dollars – will go to the Community Action of South Eastern West Virginia, which services Mercer, Summers, and Monroe counties.

Federal Health Care Funding Sent To Support Rural Centers, Scientific Research

The bulk of the money comes from the agency’s Health Center Cluster Grant Program, which helps support centers considered to be located in more rural areas.

More than $17 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are going towards health care in West Virginia.

The bulk of the money comes from the agency’s Health Center Cluster Grant Program, which helps support centers considered to be located in more rural areas. A combined amount of more than $15 million will be sent to four centers around the state. These include:

$4,641,437 to Community Care of West Virginia in Rock Cave
$4,627,591 to Shenandoah Valley Medical System in Martinsburg
$3,364,164 to Community Health Systems in Beckley
$2,576,011 to New River Health Association in Scarbro

The same grant program also saw $2.4 million go towards Valley Health Care in Mill Creek and the Belington Community Medical Services Association late last month.

“As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to ensure every West Virginian across the Mountain State has the quality, affordable health services they need,” said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in a joint statement with U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va..

Both senators are members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which writes legislation that sends federal funds to other government agencies.

Other health-related grants announced by the HHS include more than $1 million for the state Department of Health and Human Resources for STD prevention and control, nearly $800,000 towards Morgantown company IstoVisio for mental health research and $76,000 for West Virginia University for environmental health hazards research.

DHHR Receives Federal Funding For Early Childhood Services

Federal grant money is being sent to West Virginia’s Department of Health and Human Resources to support services for children in pre-K through 5th grade.

The Preschool Development Birth through Five grant includes $2.6 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It will help the agency’s Division of Early Care and Education (ECE) with efforts working with local early learning providers and school districts.

The ECE oversees and regulates childcare in the state, including by licensing and certifying providers. This particular grant funds six “resource and referral agencies,” which help provide parents with child care options and resources.

“For example, if a child is going to West Virginia pre-K, or if they’re eligible for Head Start, do they need childcare before or after?” division director Lisa Ertl said. “We’re kind of looking at how we can strengthen our entire early care and education system throughout the state.”

One of the main uses of the funding will go towards a needs assessment of the state, with Ertl saying the agency would like to see increased childcare accessibility in more rural areas.

“This will be able to help us assess how we can better determine where those gaps in available childcare are, and how we can perhaps solve that issue,” Ertl said.

Though multiple bills are currently in the state legislature that would see the current structure of the DHHR split into three distinct agencies, that would not affect the agency’s federal funding.

The grant helps fund the agency over a three-year cycle, according to the U.S. department’s website.

W.Va. Institutions To Receive Money For Opioid Response Program

The program helps make treatment for substance use disorder more accessible by funding rural health organizations. West Virginia University is set to receive $1 million, while the other million is going to Boone Memorial Health, a healthcare company based in Madison.

The federal Rural Communities Opioid Response Program is sending $2 million to fight West Virginia’s opioid epidemic.

In a joint statement, U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito say they will continue to advocate for resources and support to combat the drug epidemic and help West Virginians struggling with addiction.

“The opioid epidemic has touched all of us in one way or another, and I will continue to advocate for the support our local leaders need to pursue solutions that will help West Virginians struggling with addiction get the help they need,” Capito said.

“Combatting this heartbreaking epidemic continues to be a top priority of mine, and I am pleased the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is investing in Boone Memorial Hospital and West Virginia University as they continue to offer these essential healthcare services,” Manchin said.

The money comes from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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.

DHHR Gets Millions For Home Visitations

The state’s Home Visitation Program received some financial help from the federal government this week.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has been awarded $2 million for the West Virginia Home Visitation Program to assist families in meeting their parenting goals.

The funding was received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Health Resources and Services Administration.

In a press release, Jim Jeffries, Director of the DHHR Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health said the money will be used to develop data and technology approaches that improve the overall impact of home visiting.

The Home Visitation Program provides families, particularly those considered at-risk, with necessary resources and skills to raise children who are physically, socially, and emotionally healthy and ready to learn.