Substance Use Disorder and Stigma Awareness TrainingsODCP recognizes that certain professionals come into contact with SUD more frequently than others and require additional education in order to create situational awareness. ODCP has continued its relationship with Child Protective Services and provided quarterly stigma training to 69 CPS workers. In August, ODCP collaborated with the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide Addiction 101 training to all jail unit managers and all prison associate wardens. ODCP regularly attends training at the West Virginia State Police barracks to train new cadets before they begin their formal careers as law enforcement officers throughout West Virginia. If your organization is interested in receiving training, please reach out to Jessica Smith at Jessica.N.Smith@wv.gov.
Quick Response Teams (QRT)Quick Response Teams are composed of emergency response personnel, law enforcement officers and a substance use treatment or recovery provider who contact individuals within 24-72 hours of their overdose to offer and assist those individuals with recovery support including referrals treatment options. Click here to view the QRT map.Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) & Regional Partnership Grant (RPG)The Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) is a specialized child welfare service delivery model that has been shown to improve outcomes for children and families affected by parental substance use and child maltreatment. START was implemented from September 2021 to mid-2023. After extensive analysis of the outcomes associated with both child welfare wraparound programs, a decision has been made to discontinue START and expand on the Regional Partnership Grant model.RPG supports interagency collaborations and integration of programs, services, and activities designed to increase the well-being, improve the permanency, and enhance the safety of children who are in, or at risk of, out-of-home placements as the result of a parent or caregiver’s SUD. RPG has been implemented since May 2018. Learn more about the adopted wraparound program here.
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) is a robust and coordinated community system of response that replaces the traditional pipeline of incarceration and punishment with coordinated effort between multiple local agencies from law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys, public defenders, case managers, and community stakeholders. LEAD has expanded from being managed through five Comprehensive Behavioral Health Centers (CBHC) with the addition of two CBHC, Mingo County Health Department and Valley Health, to encompasses 30 counties throughout West Virginia. Efforts are being made to expand LEAD to Ohio, Marion, Taylor, Preston, and Berkeley counties and include two additional comprehensive behavioral health centers for 2024. In 2023, the LEAD program received over 1,111 referrals with a connection to service average of 8.5 days. These connections save counties $24,576 daily on the cost of incarceration. Police and Peers (PNP)Police and Peers is a SAMHSA-funded grant program aimed at sharing the workload placed on law enforcement when responding to a nonviolent, non-law enforcement-specific incident. The concept of PNP is to pair an embedded or co-responding Peer Recovery Support Specialist (PRSS) with law enforcement to assist with the social service needs aspect encountered during a response. Early program success has created interest in other local law enforcement agencies creating the potential to expand to additional agencies to reach entire counties.The Angel InitiativeDuring the 2020 regular legislative session, the passage of West Virginia Senate Bill 838 created the Angel Initiative. Now codified at W. Va. Code §15-2-55, the West Virginia Angel Initiative, and a reduction in the fear of arrest and incarceration for those seeking help.
Naloxone Distribution The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on those with substance use disorders has been devastating. Many individuals in recovery have lost connections to support and have been left in isolation. In addition, many in-person programs have been unable to operate during various times of the pandemic, leaving those in active addiction with fewer resources. However, one aspect of harm reduction that has continued throughout the challenges of the pandemic is naloxone training and distribution, with many programs introducing innovative ways to continue assisting those in need.Save-a-Life DayThis annual event, held on September 14, 2023, saw an outstanding distribution of free naloxone, an opioid reversal medication, throughout West Virginia and across the Appalachian region. This year, BBH provided $600,000 worth of naloxone in West Virginia and distributed 29,438 doses to community organizations and individuals across the state. When combined with events in the 12 other states that comprise Appalachia, more than 45,000 naloxone doses were distributed throughout the region as part of National Recovery Month. BBH has provided naloxone for the event every year since its inception in 2020. The first annual Save a Life Day was organized by ODCP, in partnership with SOAR WV, in two participating counties. In 2022, all 55 West Virginia counties participated, and the 2023 event expanded to include Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.Be the OneIn collaboration with the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network, this program continues to grow and provide crucial education to college students about medication safety, fentanyl, naloxone, and how to be an ally to those in recovery. This school year, the program has expanded to include the following six additional campuses in West Virginia:
ONEboxThe ONEbox is an emergency opioid overdose reversal kit designed to promote safety by assuring that individuals have lifesaving, on-demand training when and where they need it. Thirty-three counties in West Virginia have opted to receive ONEboxes for their schools and 586 ONEboxes have been distributed to schools. Along with schools, 28 counties have opted to place ONEboxes inside their public libraries with 70 ONEboxes being deployed to libraries. Over 7500 total ONEboxes have been distributed with over 100 reported lives saved.Naloxone in Public SchoolsThe Naloxone Guide for School Nurses is a crucial resource developed in response to the opioid epidemic affecting West Virginia. It provides comprehensive information and protocols for the emergency use of naloxone in school settings, emphasizing the importance of training school nurses and designated personnel in administering naloxone to address opioid overdoses, particularly among youth.CORA Program and Appalachian Cryptid PilotThe Comprehensive Opioid Response Assessment (CORA) Program, launched on July 27, 2023, focuses on collecting precise data on naloxone administrations outside of emergency medical services. The Help & Hope WV website post-survey introduces participants to cryptids, encouraging their identification on naloxone boxes. The Appalachian Cryptid Community-Driven Unreported Overdose Response Initiative employs cultural integration, anonymous surveys, and expanded marketing to tackle the crisis. Naloxone boxes create community identity, and an online hub offers culturally sensitive information, with a crowd-sourced, anonymous survey accessible through QR codes.
Project Engage ExpansionBerkeley Medical Center was awarded $150,000 through SOR funding to implement the Project Engage model in their facility. The Project Engage model focuses on expanding the capacity of hospitals to treat those with SUD to include SUD protocols in the EMR, access to a PRSS on the inpatient floors, universal screening, MOUD induction, and referral to care post discharge. The model was launched in January and was piloted on the telemetry floor. Its quick success allowed it to be expanded to the intensive care unit and then to obstetrics. The model has now successfully been launched in all units. West Virginia Hospital Association Opioid Response InitiativeThe ODCP, in partnership with the West Virginia Hospital Association, collaborated on an Opioid Response Initiative to achieve evidence-based addiction treatment in hospitals. The initiative for hospital-based access to treatment and recovery was established to encourage universal screening, ED-based peer recovery specialists and ED-initiated MOUD in hospitals across West Virginia. Standardized metrics for SUD response were developed by the Levels of Care advisory board and adopted by the West Virginia Hospital Association to be used as the 2023-2024 topic for their Commitment to Excellence Honors ProgramUp (Honors Program). The objectives of the Honors Program are to reward successful efforts to develop and promote quality improvement activities, inspire hospitals to be leaders in improving the health of West Virginians, and to raise awareness of nationally accepted standards of care that are proven to enhance patient outcomes. Level 1- Engagement highlights hospitals that are in the process of planning for the implementation of education, screening, intervention, and Naloxone distribution andLevel 2- Implementation highlights hospitals that have instituted best practices. Family Treatment CourtsThere are 13 Family Treatment Courts in West Virginia covering 16 counties including Boone, Fayette, Logan, McDowell, Ohio, Nicholas, Randolph, Roane, Calhoun, Wetzel, Tyler, Marshall, Kanawha, Raleigh, Putnam, and Wood.
Recovery Residence Task Force
HB 3306 was passed during the 2023 regular legislative session. Section 16-5T-2(c)(20) of that bill created the Recovery Residence Task Force (Task Force) and laid out its members and charge.
Jobs and Hope — HELP4WV Jobs & Hope West Virginia is the state’s comprehensive response to the SUD crisis. Established by Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Legislature, this program offers support through a statewide collaboration of agencies that provide West Virginians in recovery the opportunity to obtain career training and to ultimately secure meaningful employment. ODCP provides recovery support services and funding to eliminate barriers for Jobs & Hope West Virginia participants. Programs through Jobs & Hope West Virginia are available to all West Virginians who have a barrier to career employment and who are education and career ready.CHESS Health Connections App As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, there was a need to consider and implement innovative strategies that foster connections in the recovery community. The Connections App from CHESS Health is an engaging, evidence-based solution proven to improve treatment and long-term recovery outcomes for individuals with SUD. Since the Chess Health Connections app was released, providers and clients have embraced this new and innovative way to stay connected to others in recovery. Process to get setup
Still have questions? Email us here.Collegiate Recovery ProgramsThe Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) are supportive environments within the campus that reinforce the decision to engage in a lifestyle of recovery from an SUD. This is a physical location on campus where students in recovery can go as a safe space. They host activities including SMART meetings and 12 step fellowship meetings, yoga, meditation, social events, among others. They also plan outings for students in recovery and have sober tailgates. Most of the schools offer scholarships for students in recovery as well.
Family Planning Services at Harm Reduction SitesThe West Virginia Family Planning Program is dedicated to providing access to quality health care to help women, men, and couples achieve their desired number and spacing of children and increase the likelihood that those children are born healthy.