WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSAZ) – The United States Senate confirmed Dr. Rahul Gupta as Director of National Drug Control Policy on a bipartisan basis.

Gupta, a former Kanawha-Charleston Health Department Director and West Virginia Health Officer, is the first medical doctor to ever lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

“As a practicing physician and former health official who has served in rural communities, I have seen firsthand the heartbreaking toll of addiction and overdose in our communities, but I have also seen how we can save lives if we understand the individuals behind the statistics and meet them where they are,” said Dr. Gupta. “President Biden has made clear that addressing addiction and the overdose epidemic is an urgent priority. As Director, I will diligently work to advance high-quality, data-driven strategies to make our communities healthier and safer.”

Dr. Gupta served as the leader of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department from 2009 until 2014.

He then went on to serve as West Virginia’s State Health Officer from 2015 through September of 2018 when he left for go work as the March of Dimes Senior Vice President and Chief Medical and Health Officer.

Dr. Sherri Young released the following statement regarding the confirmation of Dr. Rahul Gupta as Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy:

“I congratulate my friend and former colleague Dr. Rahul Gupta on his confirmation as the United States’ next Drug Czar. Dr. Gupta brings a wealth of knowledge to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and I know he will bring a unique and valued perspective on the drug crisis facing this nation, especially rural America. Dr. Gupta was a strong leader at the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, and I look forward to his service in his new role.”

The Kanawha County Commission released the following statement regarding Dr. Rahul Gupta being named the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy/White House Drug Czar:

“The announcement of Dr. Gupta being named the White House Drug Czar is great news for the State of West Virginia. Dr. Gupta served Kanawha County as the Chief Health Officer from 2009 until 2014 and led Kanawha County through the 2014 Water Crisis. His leadership abilities are impeccable. He truly cares about addiction problems and will ensure that services to rural areas will be at the forefront of his platform. We cannot thank Senators Manchin and Capito enough for leading the effort to make this happen. We Congratulate Dr. Gupta, his wife, Seema, and two sons, Arka and Drew, on this great announcement,” stated the Kanawha County Commissioners.

Cabinet Secretary Bill J. Crouch of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources congratulated Dr. Rahul Gupta as the newly confirmed director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

“Under Dr. Gupta’s leadership, West Virginia engaged early in the drug epidemic as so many residents were impacted by this crisis. Dr. Gupta spearheaded the creation of West Virginia’s first Office of Drug Control Policy and set forth the development of a comprehensive approach to transform West Virginia’s long-term treatment and recovery landscape. He understood how our state was impacted by the addiction crisis and pushed for the implementation of evidence-based prevention programs and the expansion of treatment and recovery programs. We are very proud of his accomplishments and wish him the very best with his new endeavor.” From 2015 through 2018, Dr. Gupta served as West Virginia’s State Health Officer and Commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health.

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement on the confirmation of Dr. Rahul Gupta to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy:

“Last night, yet another extraordinary West Virginian was confirmed to serve the American people, Dr. Rahul Gupta. As I said during his confirmation hearing, Dr. Gupta intimately understands the needs of communities across America, and would be the first physician ever to hold this position. His work to combat the drug epidemic in a state with the worst overdose rate in the nation, where we lost 1,386 West Virginians to fatal drug-related overdoses last year, makes him well-prepared to lead similar efforts on a national scale. I have no doubt he will be a dedicated Director of the ONDCP, and I congratulate Dr. Gupta on his well-deserved confirmation.”

When introducing Dr. Gupta during his Senate nomination hearing, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito said, “We know Dr. Gupta will visit West Virginia frequently, and we need the attention because we have a lot of the solutions in West Virginia that can serve to help the nation tackle this difficult problem. I am confident President Biden has submitted a nominee who will continue the good work of his predecessors... He brings a wealth of real world experience necessary to confront the realities of today’s addiction crisis and to resume the progress our nation was beginning to see pre-pandemic… Congratulations to Dr. Gupta and again, I thank President Biden for this excellent nomination.”