Jun 7 Health As Calls For Action On Black Lung Disease Grow, Regulators Show Little Indication Of Change Harold Sturgill was disabled by black lung disease when he was 58 years old. Now he advocates for disabled miners. “When it comes to the mining companies, and it comes to the worker, it’s still all about production,” Sturgill said. “They could care less about me, how much dust I suck in, or how long […] By Sydney Boles Jun 7 Health As Calls For Action On Black Lung Disease Grow, Regulators Show Little Indication Of Change Sydney Boles
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
Jun 3 Health Kentucky Center Among The First Certified By American Society Of Addiction Medicine A Louisville treatment center is among the first programs in the nation to be certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The Volunteers of America Mid-States’ Freedom House serves women with substance use disorder and who are also pregnant or have young children. Freedom House was included in the first phase of a pilot […] By Mary Meehan Jun 3 Health Kentucky Center Among The First Certified By American Society Of Addiction Medicine Mary Meehan
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 Health 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 Health 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
May 17 Health A Growing Recovery: Food Service And Farming Jobs Provide A Path Out Of Addiction This is the first story in an occasional series exploring the links between addiction recovery and a recovering economy. It’s lunch hour, and Cafe Appalachia is bustling. Located in South Charleston, West Virginia, the former church turned restaurant has a funky, yet calming vibe. Twinkle lights and mismatched dining room sets dot the space. For […] By Brittany Patterson and Liam Niemeyer May 17 Health A Growing Recovery: Food Service And Farming Jobs Provide A Path Out Of Addiction Brittany Patterson and Liam Niemeyer
May 3 Health Remembering A Coal Miner Who Stood Up For Those With Black Lung Robert Bailey started mining coal in southern West Virginia’s McDowell County in the 1970s. By the time he retired from the Patriot Coal Company 36 years later he was already having trouble breathing. By the time I first interviewed Bailey in 2014, his black lung disease had become severe. “I’m in the process of a […] By Jessica Lilly May 3 Health Remembering A Coal Miner Who Stood Up For Those With Black Lung Jessica Lilly
Apr 26 Health Amid Measles Outbreaks, Debate Grows Over Religious Exemptions From Vaccination Toni Wilkinson has seven children, three of them under six, and all of them home-schooled. So her house on a Lexington, Kentucky, cul-de-sac is rarely quiet. Just inside the front door are bins filled with shoes, piles of jackets on a long bench. Across the room is the family library, crammed with school books. Crowded […] By Mary Meehan Apr 26 Health Amid Measles Outbreaks, Debate Grows Over Religious Exemptions From Vaccination Mary Meehan