Jul 2 Health Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic Emergency response data from across the Ohio Valley show sharp increases in suspected drug overdoses since March, when health measures including school and business closures and stay-at-home orders increased social isolation. For public health officials, it’s a grim reminder that another epidemic is ongoing and possibly worsening during the isolation associated with the coronavirus pandemic. […] By Aaron Payne Jul 2 Health Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic Aaron Payne
Feb 7 Health Reports Show Challenges Remain In Addiction Treatment Medication Access Center for Disease Control and Prevention data indicate opioid overdose deaths in the Ohio Valley declined in 2018, the first time in nearly a decade. Researchers say this is cause for optimism. But two new studies warn that access to medication assisted treatment, or MAT, for people with opioid use disorders continues to be a […] By Aaron Payne Feb 7 Health Reports Show Challenges Remain In Addiction Treatment Medication Access Aaron Payne
Jul 31 Health ARC Awards Grant To Help Pave Road To Addiction Recovery The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded a major grant to what it calls an innovative pilot program for a region hit hard by the addiction crisis. The goal is to help people struggling with addiction get on the road to treatment, recovery, and – ultimately – employment. People with substance use disorders can have trouble […] By Aaron Payne Jul 31 Health ARC Awards Grant To Help Pave Road To Addiction Recovery 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
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 17 Agriculture 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 Agriculture A Growing Recovery: Food Service And Farming Jobs Provide A Path Out Of Addiction Brittany Patterson and Liam Niemeyer
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
Nov 29 Health DEA Beefs Up Ohio Valley Opioid Enforcement U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Wednesday enhanced federal enforcement targeting opioids in the Ohio Valley region, including a new Drug Enforcement Administration field division in Louisville. At a press conference in Washington, D.C., Sessions said the Louisville field division will be the first new DEA division established in 20 years. He said it will […] By Aaron Payne Nov 29 Health DEA Beefs Up Ohio Valley Opioid Enforcement Aaron Payne
Nov 8 Health Addiction U: Schools Form Research Consortium On Opioid Epidemic At a conference last year on the region’s opioid crisis, journalist Sam Quinones presented a call to action to Northern Kentucky University. Quinones is author of the influential book on the opioid crisis, “Dreamland,” and a tireless speaker on the topic. At conferences and other events in the Ohio Valley he frequently makes a plea: […] By Aaron Payne Nov 8 Health Addiction U: Schools Form Research Consortium On Opioid Epidemic Aaron Payne