WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., voiced her support for Wednesday’s announcement that Randolph County will be designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and announced more than $27,000,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“A HIDTA designation means more resources to support local efforts and solutions that are already making a difference; and this designation for Randolph County will help local, state, and community leaders do even more to put an end to the drug crisis here in West Virginia,” Capito said.

“As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’ve worked hard to secure funds like those provided through the HIDTA program, and I will continue working with the administration and those on the frontlines here at home to finally put an end to this epidemic that has hurt so many across our state.”

Capito has been involved with HIDTA since 2015, hosting a Drug Prevention Summit in Martinsburg to discuss solutions for combating drug abuse with then-National Program Director of the HIDTA Program in the Office of National Drug Control Policy Michael Gottlieb.

She also hosted the Appalachia HIDTA’s Chad Napier in West Virginia for a series of visits focused on the dangers of drug use in 2018, and joined a bipartisan group in pressing the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for additional financial assistance to combat drug-trafficking in the Appalachian region in 2022.

In January, Capito met with Executive Director of the Washington-Baltimore HIDTA Program Tom Carr and U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of West Virginia Bill Ihlenfeld to discuss the HIDTA program and related initiatives throughout West Virginia.

Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Randolph County’s designation as a HIDTA Wednesday at the Jennings Randolph Federal Building in Elkins. He was joined by Dr. Rahul Gupta, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Ihlenfeld.

Randolph County is the 24th county in West Virginia to be designated a HIDTA. The designation will enable the county to receive federal resources to further the coordination and development of drug control efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. The designation will also make it possible for local agencies to benefit from ongoing HIDTA-coordinated initiatives that are working to reduce drug use and its consequences across the entire country.

Capito, who is a ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, also announced Thursday that the HHS will provide $27,072,343 in federal funding to support Head Start Projects across West Virginia, two public health initiatives regarding hospital preparedness and youth immunization, and funding two public health research projects at higher education institutions in West Virginia.

“I am glad to see HHS invest in these programs and initiatives, which will ultimately help create healthier communities across West Virginia,” said Capito. “This funding will not only strengthen child health services and strengthen hospital preparedness procedures, but it will also support health research at WVU and Bluefield State. These resources will also aim to help improve early childhood education in West Virginia.”

The individual federal funding awards from the HHS are as follows:

– $2,065,371 in Head Start funding for Upshur Human Resources, Inc. in Buckhannon.

– $7,942,940 in Head Start funding for North-central West Virginia Community Action Association, Inc. in Fairmont.

– $7,622,492 in Head Start funding for Northern Panhandle Head Start, Inc. in Wheeling.

– $1,851,756 in funding for Immunization and Vaccines for Children to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) in Charleston.

– $1,625,075 in Head Start funding for the Monongalia County Board of Education in Morgantown.

– $1,419,786 in funding for the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to the West Virginia DHHR in Charleston.

– $1,329,982 in Head Start funding for the Greenbrier County Board of Education in Lewisburg.

– $920,866 in Head Start funding for the Monroe County Board of Education in Union.

– $444,000 in allergy, immunology, and transplantation research funding awarded to Bluefield State University.

– $225,000 in arthritis research funding to West Virginia University Research Corporation.