Full Article by Caity Coyne | WV Watch Last week, for the first time ever, the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) visited Appalachia, holding its 78th meeting in Charleston, WV. National leaders gathered to learn firsthand about West Virginia’s struggles — and the critical need for true harm reduction Read more…
Full Story by Emily Rice | WV Public Broadcasting Save a Life Day started in West Virginia in 2020 as a two-county pilot project. Just three years later, it has grown into a regional movement with more than 300 naloxone distribution events across all 13 Appalachian states on September 14. Read more…
Full Article by Leann Ray | West Virginia Watch As West Virginia prepares to distribute over $1 billion in opioid settlement funds, questions are surfacing about who sits at the table—and whether those most impacted by addiction are represented. The West Virginia First Foundation, a new nonprofit created to oversee Read more…
Full Article by Leah Willingham | AP News On Monday night, the Charleston City Council voted 17–9 to reject a proposal from the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia to start a syringe service program — despite overwhelming public health evidence that such programs curb HIV, hepatitis C, and fatal Read more…
Full Article by Jarrett Lewis | WV Metro News Charleston City Council has voted down a proposal from the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia to operate a syringe service program on the city’s West Side — a region many call the epicenter of a growing public health crisis. The Read more…
Full Article by Lori Kersey | West Virginia Watch Charleston City Council is facing a pivotal vote: whether to support a syringe service program at the Women’s Health Center on the West Side. The resolution, backed by five council members including Frank Annie and Chelsea Steelhammer, aims to address the Read more…
Full Article by Leah Willingham | AP News In a powerful public hearing covered by the Associated Press, community voices clashed over a proposal to launch a new syringe service program at the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia. Located on Charleston’s West Side — the area hardest hit by Read more…
Full Article by Taylor Sisk; Photography by Stacy Kranitz | Mother Jones If you’ve ever wondered what harm reduction actually looks like—not just as policy, but on the ground, in real people’s lives—this piece is it. Mother Jones’ photo essay and story follow harm reduction work across Appalachia, including an Read more…
Full Article by Leah Willingham | AP News In a Associated Press report, journalist Leah Willingham shines a light on the deep and personal toll of the opioid crisis in Charleston, WV — and how leaders across political divides are trying to confront it. The story follows three city council Read more…
Full Article by Allen Siegler | Mountain State Spotlight The article “As WV officials tout small reductions in drug overdose deaths, epidemic remains at crisis levels” from Mountain State Spotlight offers a critical examination of West Virginia’s ongoing struggle with the opioid crisis. Despite a reported 4% decrease in overdose Read more…