By Caity Coyne, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy brought more than 150 addiction and recovery service providers and medical experts together virtually on Tuesday for its first open forum discussing potential changes to the state’s Substance Use Response Plan.
The plan — created through the Governor’s Council on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment — was initially released in 2018. It’s meant to reduce rates of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and dependence in West Virginia, which is home to some of the highest rates of substance use disorder and fatal overdoses in the nation.
Those who joined the forum Tuesday discussed the prevention part of the plan. Other forums — all held via Zoom — are scheduled through Dec. 14 to discuss other topics. The next will be held Nov. 16 and will focus on the community engagement and support section of the model.
Brian Gallagher, chairman of the governor’s council and associate professor at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, said Tuesday’s forum was important for gathering crucial feedback from service providers, who often are the ones responsible for creating and operating resources on the ground…
