EDUCATION
Substance Use Disorder and Stigma Awareness Trainings
ODCP recognizes that certain professionals come into contact with SUD more frequently than others and require additional education in order to create situational awareness. ODCP has continued its relationship with Child Protective Services and provided quarterly stigma training to 69 CPS workers. In August, ODCP collaborated with the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide Addiction 101 training to all jail unit managers and all prison associate wardens. ODCP regularly attends training at the West Virginia State Police barracks to train new cadets before they begin their formal careers as law enforcement officers throughout West Virginia.
If your organization is interested in receiving training, please reach out to Jessica Smith at Jessica.N.Smith@wv.gov.
DIVERSION
Police and Peers (PNP)
Police and Peers is a SAMHSA-funded grant program aimed at sharing the workload placed on law enforcement when responding to a nonviolent, non-law enforcement-specific incident. The concept of PNP is to pair an embedded or co-responding Peer Recovery Support Specialist (PRSS) with law enforcement to assist with the social service needs aspect encountered during a response. Early program success has created interest in other local law enforcement agencies creating the potential to expand to additional agencies to reach entire counties. For more information please click here.
OVERDOSE REVERSAL
Naloxone Distribution
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on those with substance use disorders has been devastating. Many individuals in recovery have lost connections to support and have been left in isolation. In addition, many in-person programs have been unable to operate during various times of the pandemic, leaving those in active addiction with fewer resources. However, one aspect of harm reduction that has continued throughout the challenges of the pandemic is naloxone training and distribution, with many programs introducing innovative ways to continue assisting those in need. For more information click here.
ONEbox
The ONEbox is an emergency opioid overdose reversal kit designed to promote safety by assuring that individuals have lifesaving, on-demand training when and where they need it. Thirty-three counties in West Virginia have opted to receive ONEboxes for their schools and 586 ONEboxes have been distributed to schools. Along with schools, 28 counties have opted to place ONEboxes inside their public libraries with 70 ONEboxes being deployed to libraries. Over 7500 total ONEboxes have been distributed with over 100 reported lives saved. For more information click here.
Naloxone in Public Schools
The Naloxone Guide for School Nurses is a crucial resource developed in response to the opioid epidemic affecting West Virginia. It provides comprehensive information and protocols for the emergency use of naloxone in school settings, emphasizing the importance of training school nurses and designated personnel in administering naloxone to address opioid overdoses, particularly among youth.
TREATMENT
Project Engage Expansion
Berkeley Medical Center was awarded $150,000 through SOR funding to implement the Project Engage model in their facility. The Project Engage model focuses on expanding the capacity of hospitals to treat those with SUD to include SUD protocols in the EMR, access to a PRSS on the inpatient floors, universal screening, MOUD induction, and referral to care post discharge. The model was launched in January and was piloted on the telemetry floor. Its quick success allowed it to be expanded to the intensive care unit and then to obstetrics. The model has now successfully been launched in all units.
West Virginia Hospital Association Opioid Response Initiative
The ODCP, in partnership with the West Virginia Hospital Association, collaborated on an Opioid Response Initiative to achieve evidence-based addiction treatment in hospitals. The initiative for hospital-based access to treatment and recovery was established to encourage universal screening, ED-based peer recovery specialists and ED-initiated MOUD in hospitals across West Virginia. Standardized metrics for SUD response were developed by the Levels of Care advisory board and adopted by the West Virginia Hospital Association to be used as the 2023-2024 topic for their Commitment to Excellence Honors ProgramUp (Honors Program).
The objectives of the Honors Program are to reward successful efforts to develop and promote quality improvement activities, inspire hospitals to be leaders in improving the health of West Virginians, and to raise awareness of nationally accepted standards of care that are proven to enhance patient outcomes.
Level 1- Engagement highlights hospitals that are in the process of planning for the implementation of education, screening, intervention, and Naloxone distribution.
Level 2- Implementation highlights hospitals that have instituted best practices.
RECOVERY
Jobs and Hope — HELP4WV
Jobs & Hope West Virginia is the state’s comprehensive response to the SUD crisis. Established by the West Virginia Legislature, this program offers support through a statewide collaboration of agencies that provide West Virginians in recovery the opportunity to obtain career training and to ultimately secure meaningful employment. ODCP provides recovery support services and funding to eliminate barriers for Jobs & Hope West Virginia participants. Programs through Jobs & Hope West Virginia are available to all West Virginians who have a barrier to career employment and who are education and career ready.
Recovery Residences
West Virginia requires all recovery residences to be registered with the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification (OHFLAC). For more information on recovery residence registration, please visit here. The West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences (WVARR) is the state's designated National Alliance of Recovery Residences (NARR) affiliate which develops best-practice standards and ethical principles to guide recovery housing operations across the country. The WVARR Certification is voluntary, however a recovery residence must be certified in order to be eligible for state funding and to receive referrals from state-funded agencies. For more information on recovery residence certification, please visit here.
