U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced funding Monday for a West Virginia University project to prevent and treat the opioid epidemic.
The project, “Rural West Virginia Responds to Opioid Injection Epidemics: From Data to Action project at WVU,” will receive $525,031 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in partnership with several other federal agencies, to develop comprehensive approaches to prevent and treat consequences of opioid injection, including substance use disorder, overdose, HIV, hepatitis B and C virus infections, as well as sexually transmitted diseases.
The WVU project will work with state and local communities to develop best practice responses that can be implemented by public health systems in the nation’s rural regions.
“As rural America grapples with a deadly opioid epidemic, we need to continue to develop a spectrum of solutions to prevent and treat addiction in West Virginia’s rural communities,” Capito said.
“I’m proud of the research that is happening at West Virginia University to address this issue and pleased it will receive more funding to further their important work.”
Manchin said opioid addiction is a national crisis, and everyone must work diligently to help those in West Virginia communities suffering from this disease.
“The work done by WVU in fighting opioid abuse is groundbreaking. I’m excited to announce this grant funding so that they may continue their research to find solutions to this devastating epidemic.”
The grants are co-funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).