UPDATE 6/1/18: After this story was published, resident Annetta Coffman sent West Virginia Public Broadcasting a list including an additional 89 names of people in Minden who have had cancer or died of cancer. West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported earlier that according to an unofficial list compiled by community members, […]
Read MoreAuthor: Kara Lofton
Quick Response Teams Aim to Get More Opioid Overdose Patients into Treatment
One West Virginia city is trying a new approach to persuade more overdose patients to seek treatment. The idea is simple: Within 24 to 72 hours of an overdose, a “quick response team” fans out into the community and tries to meet with the patient to discuss treatment options. A handful […]
Read MoreWhat Would ‘Fixing’ PEIA Really Look Like?
During the teacher strike a couple weeks ago, West Virginia educators were asking for two main things: a pay raise and for legislators to “fix PEIA.” While the program’s finance board ultimately agreed to freeze proposed changes to the plan that would have increased costs, truly fixing PEIA on the […]
Read MoreWest Virginia Sees Increase in ‘Family’ Sex Trafficking Related to Opioid Epidemic
West Virginia’s drug epidemic may be leading to increases in what’s called “familial sex trafficking.” Family members trading sex with a child in their family for drugs or money. But spotting the problem and prosecuting the offenders is very difficult. That’s because all forms of human trafficking, whether for labor […]
Read MoreTeaching Teachers About Trauma Helps Kids Learn
Liam Rusmisel is a different kid this year. On the first day of kindergarten he walked into the classroom, head held high, according to his teachers. This is no small feat for a kid who had a bit of a rough start to last year. When Liam started preschool in […]
Read MoreBirthing Facilities Continue to Close in WV, Decreasing Access to Care
Fifty years ago there were around 65 birth facilities in West Virginia. Now, there are only 24, which means pregnant women have to travel farther to give birth and, often, for prenatal care. Take Deana Lucion, for example. Lucion was 20 weeks pregnant when the last remaining obstetrician in McDowell […]
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