CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that The Martinsburg Initiative (TMI) will receive $500,000 through a Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) request she made. TMI is a police, school, community, health, and education partnership working to prevent substance use disorders, build strong families, and empower the Martinsburg community.

In total, Senator Capito secured $241,135,000 in direct spending measures for initiatives and projects across West Virginia through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations omnibus package.

“For years, I have worked to provide The Martinsburg Initiative with the resources they need because I have seen first-hand how impactful this program is, and the difference it is making in the lives of our children. I have repeatedly highlighted TMI as an example of the kind of community-based solutions that we need in our state, because it has shown to be effective in our goal of preventing our youth from falling into the grip of addiction,” Senator Capito said. “It’s clear that this initiative—thanks to local partnerships and others—is helping children, strengthening families, and empowering communities, and I am proud to secure funding through the CDS process to help further this success.”

“The mission of The Martinsburg Initiative is to prevent substance use, build strong families, and empower the community. Based on the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences, The Martinsburg Initiative builds resiliency in children and families to help them overcome barriers in their lives. With the Congressionally Directed Spending Award, The Martinsburg Initiative is able to continue its critically important substance use prevention work with children, families, and the Berkeley County community. On behalf of the TMI Executive Board, community partners, and TMI Staff, I sincerely thank Senator Capito for providing this award to The Martinsburg Initiative, and, even more importantly, through this award, providing support to our community,” Margaret Kursey, TMI Director, said.

“It has been my pleasure and pride to see The Martinsburg Initiative grow and develop,” Jennifer Burroughs, TMI Lead Social Worker, said. “ Without the support from Senator Capito and the Congressionally Directed Spending Award, The Martinsburg Initiative would not be able to assist and empower individuals, children and families impacted by substance use disorder in the Martinsburg community through school social work, mentoring, case management, wraparound services, police embedded social work, academic detailing, SBIRT, trauma training and education, and much, much more. The amazing growth and impact of this organization would not be possible without the support of Senator Capito. For this, I am sincerely grateful!”

“It has been exciting to be a part of the Martinsburg Initiative over the past six years. What began as a conversation about how we as a community could respond to the opioid crisis has grown into a critical community effort to address the issues that give rise to substance abuse, suicide, and mental health issues with the aim of preventing our young people from falling through the cracks. The recognition of these efforts by Shelley Moore Capito and the financial assistance of congressional funds will allow us to maintain the program and to expand our offerings,” Julie Harris, TMI Executive Board Member, said. 

BACKGROUND:

TMI utilizes a tiered prevention model aimed to increase awareness, identify risk factors, intervene, and mitigate negative effects of trauma or substance use. TMI uses strategies to screen for Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) and trauma among youth and connect them to case management and behavioral health services. Employing long-standing, strong collaborative efforts, TMI increases youths’ perception of risk, reduces substance use through educational activities, addresses root-causes of addiction, and reduces exposure to ACEs among youth. TMI builds strong families through resiliency building in-home parenting programs and supports for social determinants of health.

Senator Capito has been a long-time supporter of TMI, and advocated for resources that help the program grow and thrive. In 2018, Senator Capito visited the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle to see firsthand and discuss the impact of TMI. Senator Capito has also highlighted the impact and effectiveness of TMI in the continued battle against the addiction crisis in floor speeches, op-eds, and speaking occasions.

 

# # #