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 (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.