By Ashley Perham, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Dr. Rahul Gupta, former Kanawha-Charleston Health Department health officer and West Virginia health commissioner, is the first medical doctor to head up the national Office of Drug Control Policy.
In that role, Gupta has focused on the opioid epidemic with policies to help those who feel they need the drugs and to try to stop the global supply chain.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail spoke with Gupta briefly between engagements in Kanawha County last week. Here’s what he said about programs in West Virginia, his federal harm reduction strategy and his approach to messaging on syringe service programs.
What he said
- “The real work [is] happening at a local level, which is where the rubber meets the road. What we understood today was obviously the importance of the work, the importance of Care Teams — integration of peer recovery folks into police departments.”
- “We need to look at our resources and how we can look at unlocking some of the restraints or restrictions that might exist.”