By Courtney Hessler, The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s senators announced last week the availability of $13 million in funding for programs that aim to address the opioid crisis in the state.
U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, and Joe Manchin, a Democrat, both members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the funding aims to increase access to behavioral health care services and address health inequities in rural America, including through evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment for substance use disorder.
Funding comes from the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) and Behavioral Health Care Support (BHS) program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Health providers from six counties are eligible — Clay, Hampshire, Lincoln, Boone, Preston and Wirt. The counties became eligible after Manchin encouraged HRSA to change their status from urban to rural communities last year…
