Jul 12 Health New Prescription: Ohio Valley Native Dr. Patrice Harris Is First Black Woman To Lead AMA Dr. Patrice Harris took the oath in June to become the first African-American woman to serve as president of the powerful American Medical Association, the largest professional association for physicians in the United States. Harris also brings another unique perspective to the job as someone who grew up in rural Appalachia. “I was born and […] By Aaron Payne Jul 12 Health New Prescription: Ohio Valley Native Dr. Patrice Harris Is First Black Woman To Lead AMA Aaron Payne
Jun 4 Health Hit Hard By Opioids, West Virginia Hoping Athletics Can Be A Game Changer In Addiction West Virginia officials say the state’s passion for sports can be used to influence young people to learn about opioid use disorder and help prevent the next generation from entering the epidemic. That’s according to the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission, which on Tuesday announced the upcoming WVSSAC-MVB Bank Opioid Awareness Summit. The […] By Aaron Payne Jun 4 Health Hit Hard By Opioids, West Virginia Hoping Athletics Can Be A Game Changer In Addiction Aaron Payne
May 24 Economy ARC POWER Grant Recipients Meet To Discuss Economic Development Recipients of grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization, or POWER Initiative, gathered in Athens, Ohio, Wednesday and Thursday to share their experiences. Representatives from many of the 185 ongoing POWER projects shared how they’re using their funds to diversify the economies in communities hit by the decline […] By Aaron Payne May 24 Economy ARC POWER Grant Recipients Meet To Discuss Economic Development Aaron Payne
May 24 Health U.S.-China Official Says Countries Continue Work To Limit Flow Of Fentanyl Officials in the Ohio Valley say recent increases in overdose deaths are largely due to fentanyl, and experts believe most of the powerful synthetic opioid comes from Chinese manufacturers. The Chinese government announced last month it would classify all chemical variations of fentanyl as controlled substances. This closes a loophole that allowed some manufacturers to […] By Aaron Payne May 24 Health U.S.-China Official Says Countries Continue Work To Limit Flow Of Fentanyl Aaron Payne
May 24 Economy Working Toward Recovery: Ohio Town Fights Addiction With Focus On Economy This is the second story in an occasional series exploring the links between addiction recovery and a recovering economy. Addiction specialists, business leaders, law enforcement officials and other community members gathered around tables at Shawnee State University to talk about two big challenges in Scioto County, Ohio: a shrinking economy and a growing addiction crisis. […] By Aaron Payne May 24 Economy Working Toward Recovery: Ohio Town Fights Addiction With Focus On Economy Aaron Payne
May 23 Health Investigation Finds Ohio Valley Hit Hard By Fentanyl As Locals Asked For More Federal Help A Washington Post investigation finds the Ohio Valley is suffering the most from the surge in overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids, even as deaths from other substances are falling. The Post analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and found the region has the nation’s highest rates of death due to fentanyl. Kentucky, […] By Aaron Payne May 23 Health Investigation Finds Ohio Valley Hit Hard By Fentanyl As Locals Asked For More Federal Help Aaron Payne
Apr 19 Economy Cannabis Economy: With Medical Marijuana, Ohio’s Meigs County Hopes To Cash In On “Golden” Opportunity Meigs County, Ohio, has a complicated history with marijuana. “Meigs County Gold” has been grown illegally for years. Local legend has it that was the strain of choice for musicians like the Grateful Dead and Willie Nelson when they toured Ohio. But for Meigs County Commissioner Randy Smith, that isn’t a source of pride. Instead […] By Aaron Payne Apr 19 Economy Cannabis Economy: With Medical Marijuana, Ohio’s Meigs County Hopes To Cash In On “Golden” Opportunity Aaron Payne
Apr 17 Health Federal Opioid Strikeforce Indicts More Than A Dozen Ohio Valley Doctors The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday more than a dozen indictments against doctors in the Ohio Valley on charges relating to the illegal distribution of opioids. These are the first major indictments from the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, which started work in December. “The opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis […] By Aaron Payne Apr 17 Health Federal Opioid Strikeforce Indicts More Than A Dozen Ohio Valley Doctors Aaron Payne
Apr 3 Health ARC Funds Addiction Treatment For Women In Rural Kentucky And Ohio The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded more than two million dollars to expand addiction treatment and recovery resources for women in rural regions of the Ohio Valley hit hard by the opioid crisis. Ohio University received $1,100,000 for the Appalachian Recovery Project in Athens County, Ohio. WestCare Kentucky, Inc., received $1,136,000 for the Judi Patton […] By Aaron Payne Apr 3 Health ARC Funds Addiction Treatment For Women In Rural Kentucky And Ohio Aaron Payne
Mar 22 Health HHS Provides Additional Funding to Expand Addiction Treatment The Ohio Valley has received nearly $60 million in additional federal funds to help combat the opioid epidemic. Kentucky received $16,431,436, Ohio $29,122,692 and West Virginia $14,630,361. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the funds as a supplement to the first-year State Opioid Response, or SOR, grant awards. “This funding will […] By Aaron Payne Mar 22 Health HHS Provides Additional Funding to Expand Addiction Treatment Aaron Payne