CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Sen. Ron Stollings, D-Boone, a Democrat gubernatorial candidate, has issued the following statements on health issues in W.Va.:
During my 34 years as a primary care doctor, I’ve witnessed the daily struggles of West Virginians. I’ve been on the front lines during the substance use crisis and I see how it is affecting our health, education system and our economy.
The state’s substance use problem affects all areas of our population. It affects:
- Businesses in finding quality, drug-free employees;
- Our family unit as many of our children are without at least one parent and are being raised by grandparents or other family members;
- Our education system as many of these children face obstacles before they even show up for school; and
- Our healthcare and recovery system, our police and emergency services because we don’t have the resources to handle the large numbers of people seeking help.
I worry about so many children in our state. We have 10,000 homeless children, 7,000 foster children and 300 children who are missing. I have listened and learned from our educators and school service personnel and have fought for policies that promote student success.
We need to invest in the first 1,000 days of children’s lives as we know that’s a critical time-period in their learning process.
We can’t afford to lose another generation of West Virginians.