West Virginia congressional delegation voices support for Marsh's nomination to national advisory council

WASHINGTON (WV News) — West Virginia's congressional delegation jointly issued a letter to offer support for the nomination of West Virginia University's Dr. Clay Marsh to serve on a federal health care advisory council.

The National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality is a 21-member panel that advises the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. According to its website, AHRQ is the lead federal agency charged with improving the safety and quality of health care for all Americans.

The council provides advice and recommendations to AHRQ's director and to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on priorities for a national health services research agenda, according to AHRQ's website.

The letter was jointly released by all five of West Virginia's representatives, Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito and Reps. David McKinley, Alex Mooney and Carol Miller.

“As members of West Virginia’s Congressional Delegation, we write in strong support of Dr. Clay Marsh’s nomination to the National Advisory Council for health care Research and Quality (NACHRQ),” the lawmakers said in part. “Dr. Marsh knows well the health care problems faced in the Appalachian region, which extends through parts of 13 states stretching from Mississippi to New York and is home to 26 million people.

"Dr. Marsh was born, raised, educated, and has worked in West Virginia, the only state located entirely within Appalachia as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Addressing disparities in health care access, affordability, and quality are urgent issues throughout Appalachia. Dr. Marsh’s personal and professional familiarity with Appalachia would be an important voice to the advisory council’s deliberations.”

In addition to serving as chancellor and executive dean of health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at WVU, Marsh has served as West Virginia's COVID-19 czar, one of the top medical experts working with Gov. Jim Justice and the rest of his leadership team throughout the COVID pandemic.