Joe Solomon, Democratic candidate for city council and co-director of the non-profit Solutions Oriented Addiction Response, stops by a syringe disposal box outside the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Charleston, W.Va. Solomon had spent three days eating at soup kitchens and sleeping under bridges and in parking lots while interviewing residents about the changes they’d like to see in the city’s response to issues like homelessness and substance use. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham) (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)
West Virginia residents remain divided on a syringe service program aimed at reducing substance abuse issues and the spread of blood-borne infections linked to needle usage. The state leads the nation in overdose deaths per capita, yet a recent Charleston public hearing showed that many are torn on how to address the crisis.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,501 people died from drug overdoses in West Virginia in 2021, for which the most recent data is available. Due to the state’s size, it currently leads the country in overdose deaths per capita, even though other states saw far greater numbers of deaths.
In comparison, California saw the highest number of total deaths that year at 10,901.
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A 2019 study conducted by researchers at Marshall University found that the state’s opioid epidemic stemmed from a combination of a depressed economy, lack of education and high rate of prescribing and dispensing of prescription opioids.
Making matters worse, the state has grappled with HIV outbreaks since 2019, which can be directly linked to a lack of syringe service programs.
But one organization is trying to improve the bleak situation.
The Women’s Health Center of West Virginia, the state’s former abortion provider, is hoping to implement a syringe service program that would be part of a greater harm reduction program at the clinic, Iris Sidikman, the center’s harm reduction program coordinator, said at a public hearing about the initiative on Thursday in Charleston.
The facility will offer wound care and supplies, referral services, behavioral health care, primary health care, substance use treatment and overdose prevention supplies.
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City Council must approve the syringe program, but there’s nothing stopping the facility from offering its other services.
“We’re going to be able to link people to the resources they need, whether it’s housing, ID documents, support groups or more,” said Sidikman, who uses they/them pronouns.
City residents that attended the hearing were divided on whether to implement the program, however. Some raised concerns about potentially helping addicts access drugs and syringe litter, while others favorably advocated for the initiative.
Sidikman said the organization will send people out to look for discarded syringes in the area near the clinic.
Pam Stevens and her husband spoke out against the service, explaining to attendees that their 44-year-old son, Adam, died from a drug overdose. A dirty needle was not involved in his death, Pam said.
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“We need harm reduction programs,” Stevens said. “But a dirty needle trade-in program, while not intended, actually provides more opportunities for drug abusers to get more needles to get a fix.”
A syringe service fact sheet on the CDC’s website states that such initiatives help stop substance abuse, support public safety and prevent transmission of blood-borne diseases.
New users of the programs are five times more likely to enter drug treatment and three times more likely to stop using drugs than those who don’t use the services, the fact sheet states.
Danni Dineen, quick response team coordinator with the city’s Coordinated Addiction Response Effort, said syringe services saved her life.
“I want to see the folks I serve here in Charleston have that same opportunity. I want them to have a safe place to go without judgment,” Dineen said at the hearing.
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“I want them to have access to sterile supplies so they don’t contract hepatitis C like I did. I want them to have a place where they can dispose of their used supplies.”
Charleston suspended its city-run needle exchange in March 2018. By 2020, 2,089 people were living with HIV in West Virginia. Of those, 139 had been recently diagnosed, according to data from AidsVu, a mapping tool by Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health that tracks outbreaks.
When a local nonprofit stepped in to provide clean needles and testing for blood-borne diseases, city police investigated them for potentially violating a public ordinance that required harm reduction programs to be approved by the police chief or state, effectively shutting down their operations.
At the time, Mayor Amy Goodwin told Mountain State Spotlight that decisions about whether to implement a syringe service program should be decided by public health and medical professionals.
“If they determine the need is there, then [they] should determine the next step forward,” she told the outlet.
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It’s not clear how City Council is likely to vote on the proposal. The public hearing concluded with residents shouting at each other.
Out of 20 council members, 15 are Democrats and five are Republicans. They will cast their deciding ballots next month.
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The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has landed a commitment from Danville (Ky.) Boyle County 2025 athlete Montavin Quisenberry.
Quisenberry, 5-foot-8, 166-pounds, picked the Mountaineers over other scholarship offers from Michigan, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisville and Virginia Tech.
However, his final choices came down to West Virginia and Louisville after visiting each of those programs on back-to-back weekends for official visits. Kentucky also was heavily involved but he did not make that trip.
Secondary coach ShaDon Brown served as the lead recruiter for Quisenberry, and that connection proved critical to keep the Mountaineers in the mix throughout the course of the process. Quisenberry was an early target for the West Virginia coaches and that persistence helped to land him in the class.
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A jack-of-all-trades type of athlete, Quisenberry is slotted to play inside wide receiver for the Mountaineers and is coming off a season where he recorded 43 catches for 864 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing 82 times for 800 yards and 18 more scores. He also had five touchdowns on special teams returns.
Quisenberry becomes third wide receiver to commit to West Virginia in the 2025 class behind Hurricane (W.Va.) wide receiver Tyshawn Dues and Cheshire (Ct.) Academy 2025 wide receiver Teriq Mallory.He is the 17th commitment overall for the Mountaineers this cycle.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Quisenberry and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Quisenberry is the type of athlete that you find ways to get the football in his hands given what he can do with it. He possesses plus speed and excellent vision which he uses to get up field in a hurry. While he isn’t the biggest option as a pass catcher, Quisenberry more than makes up for it with his athleticism and explosion.
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Has good contact balance and is able to keep his feet to generate big plays. Quisenberry is comfortable both taking hand-offs or catching the football and is a threat to score anytime he gets the football at the high school level. Those skills should allow him to become effective at several different positions and even be an asset for the Mountaineers in the element of the return game.
Fitting the program:
Quisenberry has been to West Virginia on multiple occasions and there is a trust level with the coaching staff that has been forged over time. He is from an area where the Mountaineers have strong ties on the coaching staff and good connection with the high school coaches.
Kentucky has become more of an area of emphasis since head coach Neal Brown took over the football program and Quisenberry is a strong addition from an area that has been difficult to crack into.
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Quisenberry is an all-purpose type of athlete that could be used in a variety of roles but is slotted to start his career on the inside where he will be a natural fit for what West Virginia wants to do there. The Mountaineers have 12 scholarship wide receivers on the roster, but the bulk of those are more outside oriented. That’s not to say that there won’t be competition but given all he can do with the football in his hands it opens the door for him to try to work his way onto the field earlier if he proves capable.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia is still involved with several key options at the wide receiver position with Coconut Creek (Fla.) Monarch 2025 wide receiver Samari Reed and Drexel Hill (Pa.) Monsignor Bonner 2025 wide receiver Jalil Hall. The Mountaineers have now added several key pieces to the room, but the program still is very much in the mix for that list and it’s likely that they could still in the class.
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INSTITUTE, W.Va. — The West Virginia University State Board of Governors gave approval Friday to BOG Chairman Mark Kelley to enter into a new contract with State President Ericke Cage.
It’s a five-year deal and will need final approval from the state Higher Education Policy Commission before June 30 when Cage’s current contract expires.
Ericke Cage
Cage has been president at WVSU for two years. He told MetroNews Friday the five-year contract is a great vote of confidence from the BOG.
“I’m just excited to have the opportunity to continue as the university’s president, to continue to advance the great work we have done to move West Virginia State forward,” Cage said.
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Cage said the success of the last two years has included adding new academic programs, bringing new resources and relationships WVSU and helping to raise the university’s profile in the state and across the country.
Gov. Jim Justice and several legislative leaders were on the State campus earlier this week for a ceremonial bill signing that will bring a $50 million new state Agriculture lab to the WVSU campus that will coincide with university establishing a School of Agriculture.
“That is going to be a game-changer not just for West Virginia State University but for the entire state of West Virginia,” Cage said.
State will face the challenges that other colleges and universities face over the next five years but Cage said he believes the HBC, land-grant institution, has positioned itself to be able to grow during that time.
“I believe the future of higher education is very much focused on the needs of our clients, our customers, and in this case our customers are the students, the taxpayers, the businesses,” he said.
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Cage expects growth in State’s doctorate degree programs, agriculture research and training and cyber security in connection with a partnership involving Marshall University.
Cage said WVSU will also lean into what he calls “tailor-made industry solutions.”
“We’re going to partner with industry, sit down with them, and shape programs and solutions to the workforce challenges they face,” Cage said.
WVSU is currently in discussions with Nucor Steel to develop an operators training program.
“I think the future at West Virginia State University is very bright,” Cage said. “Most importantly, we are never going to lose sight of our connection to this community.”
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A native of Halifax County, Virginia, Cage was previously serving as the university’s chief operating officer and managing the day-to-day operations of the university for then president Nicole Pride. Pride resigned July 30, 2021. Cage received the permanent appointment in March 2022.
The state Higher Education Policy Commission will likely meet next week to approve the new five-year contract.
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