Tag: University of Charleston

W.Va. Medical Marijuana Program Board Set to Meet

A board that will help develop a medical marijuana program in West Virginia is holding its first meeting.

The advisory board is set to meet Wednesday at the University of Charleston. Among the topics for discussion is a work plan for the program’s first year. The meeting is open to the public and will include a comment period.

Gov. Jim Justice signed a law April 19 making West Virginia the 29th state to allow the use of marijuana for certain medical conditions.

The law permits doctors to recommend marijuana be used for medicinal purposes and establishes a regulatory system. The law states that no patient or caregiver ID cards will be issued until July 2019.

University of Charleston President Retiring in 2018

University of Charleston President Edwin H. Welch has announced his retirement, effective in June 2018.

Welch has been president of the school since 1989, when it had 736 full-time students. Last fall, full-time enrollment reached a record 1,848.

The school says 20 construction projects have occurred during Welch’s administration, including eight buildings and two playing fields.

Welch also oversaw design and completion of the $20.5 million Wehrle Innovation Project on the campus of the private school.

Welch secured in 1994 what was at the time the largest gift in the school’s history, leading to construction of Clay Tower Building.

Man Charged After Gun Goes off At University

Charleston police say a man is facing charges after his gun accidentally discharged during a children’s swimming lesson. No one was injured.

Chief of Detectives Steve Cooper tells The Charleston Gazette-Mail that 41-year-old Lloyd Simms was charged with discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a school after turning himself in to police Saturday.

The incident occurred Friday evening at the University of Charleston’s physical education building.

According to a criminal complaint, Simms was sitting on a bench and the gun discharged when it “caught on something” as he stood up. Nearly 100 children, including his own, were present at the time.

Although Simms had a concealed carry permit, weapons are not allowed on the university’s campus.

UC Pharmacy Students Advocate for Prescription Medicine Adherence

Three out of four people do not take their medication as directed, and one out of three people never fill their prescriptions, according to the national medication adherence campaign Script Your Future. Health professional students, including pharmacy students from the University of Charleston, are trying to increase awareness about the issue.

Over the past two months, the UC pharmacy students have held 23 Script Your Future events. These include alternative spring break trips, seminars on yoga for disease management, healthy meal planning for disease management, and a Run for Women’s Health 5k. This is the fourth year UC pharmacy school students have participated in the campaign.

According to MeilssaBuse, a fourth year UC pharmacy student, There are main four reasons people don’t take medications as prescribed, says fourth-year UC pharmacy student Melissa Buse: (1) they don’t understand how medication works; (2) they’re worried about side effects; (3) they can’t afford prescriptions; and (4) they forget to take their medications.

Yet non-adherence is dangerous and costly. Approximately 290 billion dollars are spent each year in avoidable healthcare costs related to medication non-adherence (i.e., emergency department visits, hospitalizations and pharmacy costs), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Research published late last year for the national Script Your Future campaign found that improved communication between patients and healthcare providers does lead to more patients taking prescribed medications as directed.  

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

February 16, 1821: Financier Morris Harvey Born in Raleigh County

Civic leader and financier Morris Harvey was born in Raleigh County on February 16, 1821. He worked at his uncle's store in Fayetteville, where he learned…

Civic leader and financier Morris Harvey was born in Raleigh County on February 16, 1821. He worked at his uncle’s store in Fayetteville, where he learned the ins and outs of politics and business. When the Civil War began, he enlisted in Thurmond’s Rangers, a local Confederate unit. 

After the war, Harvey and his brother-in-law paid the new state of West Virginia $20 for 1,000 acres on the New River. They then leased the land to rail and coal companies. The timing was fortuitous because the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was about to carve a path into southern West Virginia and launch the region’s coal industry. Much of Harvey’s mining land became part of the powerful New River Company. In addition, he founded the Fayette National Bank in Fayetteville. A devout Methodist, Harvey helped establish at least three churches. He also gave money to the Barboursville Seminary in Cabell County, which, in 1901, changed its name to Morris Harvey College. The college later moved to Charleston and is now the University of Charleston. Morris Harvey died in Fayetteville in 1908 at age 87.

University of Charleston Undergrad Tuition Increasing by $3,000

University of Charleston President Ed Welch says a tuition increase will be offset by more financial aid.

Undergraduate tuition at the private university will increase by $3,000 to $28,900 a year.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that Welch told students at a Wednesday meeting that the university will increase financial aid by $2,000.

Welch said graduate, online students and those enrolled at the university’s campuses in Beckley and Martinsburg won’t be affected by the tuition increase.

He also said fees for room and board won’t change.

The university’s Board of Trustees approved the increase in October. Welch said the move was prompted by several programs and additions, along with new federal regulations for employee compensation.

Exit mobile version