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.”