Programs

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EDUCATION


Substance Use Disorder and Stigma Awareness Trainings


ODCP 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 intersted in receiving training, please reach out to Jessica Smith at Jessica.N.Smith@wv.gov.



INTERVENTIONS


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. 



DIVERSION


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 Recovry 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 Initiative​


During 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 Inities, and a reduction in the fear of arrest and incarceration for those seeking help.



OVERDOSE REVERSAL


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 Day

This 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 One


In 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:
  1. Glenville State University

  2. Bluefield State College

  3. Fairmont State University

  4. Shepherd University

  5. Northern Community and Technical College

  6. Mount West Community and Technical College


ONEbox


The 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 Schools


The 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 Pilot

The 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.

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TREATMENT RESOURCES


ATLAS/Shatterproof​


West Virginia was chosen as one of six states to partner with Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the devastation of addiction, on the development and implementation of the ATLAS (Addiction Treatment Locator Analysis and Survey) system for addiction treatment programs. ATLAS measures addiction treatment facilities’ use of best practices through a combination of validated data sources and reports the results of these measures publicly. The ODCP and BBH maintain consistent communication with the ATLAS team and conduct bimonthly ATLAS state advisory committee meetings with key stakeholders to guide the project. The focus for year two will be the integration of ATLAS into preexisting state resources and the marketing of this unique tool for West Virginians.

Project Engage Expansion


Berkeley 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 Initiative


The 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 Program (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 and 

Level 2- Implementation highlights hospitals that have instituted best practices. 

Family Treatment Courts


There 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 RESOURCES


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


  1. Click this LINK to complete an individual enrollment form.

  2. Once the form is submitted, you will receive a download link via text message.

  3. Download, install, and start using the Connections App including daily check-ins, eTherapy, message boards and more.

Still have questions? Email us here.


Collegiate Recovery Programs


The 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. 

  • WVU

  • Marshall

  • WVU Tech 

  • Concord

  • WVSU

  • Bridge Valley CT


Recovery Residences


Recovery residences provide safe, healthy, and drug and alcohol-free living environments that support individuals seeking recovery from substance use disorder. The National Alliance of Recovery Residences (NARR) formed in 2011 to develop best-practice standards and ethical principles to guide recovery housing operations across the country. The West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences (WVARR) is the state's designated NARR affiliate. WVARR implements certification and grievance processes for local recovery residences, and supports the recovery residence community through advocacy, training, and data-collection. Due to recent legislation, West Virginia recovery residences will be required to become WVARR-certified in order to be eligible for state funding and referrals from state-funded agencies. West Virginia certification opened publicly in November 2020. The link to apply is posted on the WVARR website.


Family Planning and VLARC in Corrections


The ODCP has partnered with the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DOCR) to provide voluntary long-acting reversible contraceptive (VLARC) and the Parenting Inside Out (PIO) curriculum in correctional settings. PIO is an evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral parent management skills training program created for incarcerated parents through a six-year collaboration of scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and instructional designers. Both the information in the program and the way that information is presented were informed by knowledge derived from research and practice.

Family Planning Services at Harm Reduction Sites​


The 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.