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…
In late 2021, SOAR was successful in securing grant funding from the Mel Wolfe Foundation for a new pilot project, Unstuck Chuck. Unstuck Chuck is SOAR’s syringe pick-up and disposal crew that is implemented each month with the help and direction of peers from the community of Charleston. The idea Read more…
While the country is still wrestling with the COVID-19 pandemic, deaths from drug overdoses have been spiking — and are expected to top 100,000 for 2021. On Thursday, the White House released its plan to address the crisis. Amna Nawaz: While the country is still wrestling with the COVID-19 pandemic, Read more…