Last week, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., invited guests from Washington, D.C., to get a first-hand look at the damage the substance abuse epidemic is doing to West Virginia – and the work being done to combat it, in the face of enormous challenges.

Lawrence Muir, general counsel and acting chief of staff for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, got a look at two facilities in Charleston, Rea of Hope and Recovery Point Charleston, that could be templates for similar efforts across the state. They are long-term residential treatment and recovery facilities where women are experiencing some degree of success at finally tackling their addictions and getting their lives back on track.

But the key is that these are long-term programs. This is not the kind of war that can be won in a matter of a few days.

In fact, “We just saw a need that six months was not enough for these women,” Rea of Hope Executive Director Marie Beaver said.

In the midst of an epidemic that has sent women of all socio-economic classes into treatment, Beaver said her program places a strong emphasis on accountability. Though there is some funding from the state for the facility, women who live there are expected to find and keep jobs, and are charged from the beginning for their stay.

These facilities provide structure, addiction recovery, accountability, support and hope to the folks who are fortunate enough to get a spot. And for many people, they are making a difference. Imagine if there were enough beds. Imagine if there was enough funding. Imagine if addicts who might very much want to regain control of their lives and become productive members of society again knew there was a place where they could go to help make that happen.

As was rightly pointed out during the visits to Charleston, regulation and oversight will be essential. There is too much chance an unscrupulous owner or management company could take advantage of addicts to find ways to game the system and reap big profits. But with more than 41 of every 100,000 West Virginians dying as a result of the opioid epidemic, it would be unconscionable not to find a way to make more of these facilities a reality.