WV Clinics Get Funding for Substance Abuse Treatment

A clinic in eastern Kanawha County and another one in Putnam County are among five in West Virginia to receive federal funding to expand substance abuse treatment services, federal officials announced Friday.

Cabin Creek Health Systems, based in Dawes, will receive $317,650, and Womencare in Scott Depot will receive $325,000 from Health and Human Services for substance abuse treatment services.

Across the state, West Virginia clinics will receive more than $1.7 million. Besides Cabin Creek and Womencare, those receiving funding include Valley Health Systems Inc. in Huntington ($406,250); Change Inc. in Weirton ($370,204) and Community Care of West Virginia in Rock Cave ($352,083).

Nationally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is investing $94 million in the health clinics, and expects to help them hire about 800 providers to treat nearly 124,000 new patients, officials said.

“The opioid epidemic is one of the most pressing public health issues in the United States today,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, a West Virginia native, said in a press release. “Expanding access to medication-assisted treatment and integrating these services in health centers bolsters nationwide efforts to curb opioid misuse and abuse, supports approximately 124,000 new patients accessing substance use treatment for recovery and helps save lives.”

Craig Robinson, executive director for Cabin Creek Health Systems, said the grant money will allow Cabin Creek to expand its medication-assisted opioid addiction treatment program, which it started two months ago at its Kanawha City location. With the funding, it will expand the program to two or three more locations, Robinson said.

“It seems that the Obama administration has identified West Virginia as a place with a significant opioid addiction problem and they are responding by providing significant funding to either initiate or expand medication-assisted treatment programs,” Robinson said. “It’s a great opportunity for us and it’s a great challenge for us to deliver.”

The money will used to allow health centers to hire one full-time equivalent substance abuse provider and to train staff members to screen patients using the SBIRT method, officials announced during a conference call Friday. SBIRT stands for screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment.

Robinson said Cabin Creek finds drug problems often in its adult primary care population. They also find evidence of it in school-based clinics.

“It’s almost more apparent in school-based health programs because the students we deal with have parents affected by addiction, Robinson said. “That’s very prominent.”

The funding will also provide training and educational resources to help health professionals make informed prescribing decisions, HHS officials said.

About 4.5 million Americans used prescription pain relievers for non-medical purposes in 2013 and an estimated 289,000 were current heroin users, according to the government.

According to government estimates, the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain medications has nearly quadrupled between 1999 and 2013. Deaths related to heroin increased 39 percent from 2012 and 2013.

The opioid epidemic is particularly felt in West Virginia, which in 2014 led the nation in the rate of drug overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation praised the announcement of funding.

“Expanding treatment options for those struggling with addiction is one of the biggest challenges we face in the fight for a drug-free West Virginia,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said in a news release. “Community health centers serve one in five West Virginians and could see an influx of patients because of the drug epidemic. I have and will continue to ensure that West Virginia receives the resources it needs to combat the devastating drug epidemic.”

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said the opioid epidemic has “ravaged” the state.

“It is critical we improve and expand services in West Virginia to effectively treat and address opioid addiction,” Manchin said. “This funding will ensure our health centers have the necessary tools and resources to better address the substance abuse treatment needs within their communities. We must continue to do everything in our power to stem the tide of substance abuse and this funding is crucial in our fight.”