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West Virginia DHHR to host public meeting Thursday for comments on opioid response plan

By WENDY HOLDREN

The Register-Herald

CHARLESTIN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources will hold a public meeting Thursday for everyone to share their ideas for the state’s opioid response plan.

The meeting, part of an effort to develop an opioid response plan through public engagement and a partnership with regional and national experts, will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the West Virginia Water Development Authority, located at 1009 Bullitt Street in Charleston.

The public as well as pertinent subject matter experts are invited to attend this meeting to provide comments and share ideas for prevention, early intervention/screening, treatment, recovery, decreasing overdoses, and reducing maternal drug use and neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Speakers will present on the West Virginia Opioid Fatality Report, as well as discuss the stigma often associated with addiction and the significance of treatment.

Comments received during the meeting will be considered for the West Virginia Opioid Response Plan which will be submitted to the Governor and the West Virginia Legislature. The public comment period will continue to remain open at dhhr.wv.gov/bph through Dec. 30, 2017 at 11:59 p.m.

DHHR’s Office of Drug Control Policy Director Jim Johnson is coordinating the meeting with a panel of public health experts including: Dr. Sean Allen, Assistant Scientist in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health; Dr. Jeffrey Coben, Dean of the West Virginia University School of Public Health and Associate Vice President of Health Affairs; Dr. Shannon Frattaroli, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins University; and Dr. Sean Loudin, Associate Professor at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Associate Dean, Public Health Practice & Training, Johns Hopkins University, will facilitate public comments.

Email: [email protected] and follow on Twitter @WendyHoldren

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