West Virginia

Department of Health, Department of Health Facilities, and Department of Human Services

Department of Health
Department of Health Facilities
Department of Human Services

DHHR Awards Opiate Use Peer Recovery Coaches Funding

3/19/2018

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities has awarded $2.08 million in funding to expand the State’s capacity of opiate use peer recovery coaches. The federal funding comes from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration’s State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants and is part of DHHR’s plan to expand regionally based substance use recovery services for adults.
 
Peer Recovery Coaches initiate and sustain individuals in recovery and promote individuals’ recovery by acting as a guide/mentor for overcoming personal and environmental obstacles that jeopardize their recovery. They also help individuals discover, access and utilize ways to remain drug and alcohol free or reduce the harm associated with their substance use behaviors; find resources for harm reduction, detoxification, treatment, family support and education, and local or online support groups; and create a change plan for their recovery.
 
“Peer Recovery Coaching, a vital component in West Virginia’s recovery oriented continuum of care, addresses the unique needs of individuals in addiction recovery,” said Nancy Sullivan, Acting Commissioner for DHHR’s Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities. “An expansion of this intervention is an important step in the State’s fight against the drug epidemic, led by Cabinet Secretary Bill J. Crouch under the direction of Gov. Jim Justice.”
 
Sub-grantees receiving monies for these projects are:
            Drug Free Mother Baby in the Greenbrier Valley $40,000 
            FMRS Health Systems Inc.                               $120,000 
            Greenbrier Day Report Center                                  $40,000 
            Harrison County Commission                                  $40,000 
            Hampshire County Pathways                                  $80,000 
            Living Free Ohio Valley                                         $120,000 
            Milan Puskar Health Right                                           $40,000 
            Morgantown Sober Living Inc.                                 $160,000 
            Potomac Highlands Guild                                           $40,000 
            Prestera                                                                 $240,000 
            Recovery Point                                                         $480,000 
            Seneca Health Care                                                 $240,000 
            Synergy Health, Inc.                                                 $120,000 
            The Lifehouse                                                           $40,000 
            Tug River Health Association, Inc.                           $40,000 
            Westcare Foundation                                                 $200,000 
            Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.                                   $40,000 
 
New Peer Recovery Coaches will be hired and trained with a focus on offenders re-entering the community from incarceration in a correctional setting; pregnant and post-partum women and their infants/children; and, overdose survivors served by the emergency response system and emergency departments.  
 
“Providing services tailored to meet individual needs is essential to curbing West Virginia’s opioid epidemic,” said Dr. Michael R. Brumage, Director of DHHR’s Office of Drug Control Policy. “It is through collaborative projects such as this that we will be able to make a significant difference in communities across the state.”

Contact Information

Media contact: DHHRCommunications@wv.gov or (304) 558-7899
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