West Virginia
Community Care of West Virginia tackles stigma surrounding substance use disorder
BUCKHANNON — Substance use disorder (SUD) is a treatable chronic health condition from which people can and do recover. However, many individuals struggling with SUD hesitate to seek the treatment they need due to the stigma they face.
Recognizing this barrier, Community Care of West Virginia (CCWV) has taken significant steps to address and reduce stigma through its Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, Neo-Natal Abstinence Syndrome (RCORP-NAS) grant. This federal grant focuses on improving the area’s response to SUD, specifically for pregnant women and parenting families.
This summer, CCWV will host two “Addressing Stigma” trainings in partnership with West Virginia Prevention Solutions and St. Joseph’s Hospital. These sessions aim to raise awareness and educate various community stakeholders about the impact of stigma on individuals with substance use disorder. Last month, a training session was conducted for all staff members at St. Joseph’s Hospital, led by WV Prevention Solutions executive director Elizabeth Shahan and St. Joseph’s Hospital opioid coordinator Shelby Wilson. Another session is scheduled for local law enforcement.
Dr. Kyle Miller, a CCWV physician who works with addiction medicine patients, emphasizes the pervasive impact of stigma on individuals with SUD.
“Addiction often affects patients’ lives from every angle — school, work, home life, relationships. It’s an all-consuming process, and stigma is just another layer they have to deal with when trying to make positive changes,” he explained. “When so many aspects of your life have been affected negatively by substance use disorder, seeking treatment feels like climbing a mountain, and stigma makes that peak feel even higher.”
Dr. Miller highlighted the importance of comprehensive and compassionate treatment.
“We try to address stigma through various routes, from being mindful of our language in clinics to incorporating peer recovery support specialists,” he said. “These specialists, with their lived experience in addiction and sobriety, bring a level of relatability to the team that’s invaluable.”
Elizabeth Shahan from WV Prevention Solutions underscored the importance of the RCORP-NAS grant and the collaborative efforts to combat stigma.
“Our role as a partner on the grant is to help train and address stigma in a variety of ways, working with all people on the continuum of care — prevention, intervention, treatment, recovery — to break down barriers,” she said. “Stigma is one of the top challenges facing the mental health field today, creating significant obstacles for individuals trying to access behavioral health services.”
Shahan further explained that stigma often prevents people from reaching out for help during times of crisis.
“People may turn to negative coping skills, like substance use, to self-medicate the effects of trauma because they fear being judged for seeking support,” she said. “Our goal is to address stigma using a science-based approach, understanding the social science behind it and how it keeps people from seeking help.”
Through their concerted efforts, CCWV and its partners hope to create a more supportive environment for individuals with substance use disorder. By raising awareness and providing education, they aim to foster a community where individuals feel empowered to seek the treatment they need without fear of judgment.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – The Verizon Network is currently experiencing a widespread outage across West Virginia.
A service alert was sent to residents in Kanawha County.
Verizon customers should still be able to call 911.
If a Verizon customer experiences an issue with contacting 911, a landline should be used if possible.
However, only contact 911 if there is a true emergency.
At this time, Verizon is not giving an estimated time for restoration.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Alyssa’s Law passed through the West Virginia Legislature, creating a fund to bring panic buttons and other life-saving technology to schools statewide.
Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, who helped create Alyssa’s Law, said, “Every teacher, every staff member equipped with a wearable panic button that allows them a literal one push to the 911 center, to local law enforcement and EMS.”
Alyssa Alhadeff was a 14-year-old who died alongside 16 other students in the Parkland school shooting in 2018. Her parents are giving the first official funds to West Virginia through the organization called Make Our Schools Safe.
“They’ll make a contribution this evening of $48,888,” Pinson said. “That number 8 is recurring because it was Alyssa’s volleyball number.”
The state Department of Education is giving $348,888 to the fund, as well.
In Jackson County, local funding helped bring in panic buttons, and deputies are required to spend time in schools every week.
Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger said the panic buttons give local law enforcement maps and an alert to their phone.
“It’s a pretty big lift to get the money and we’re looking at $9.5-10 million to get this thing done, and the sad reality is if we had a school shooting tomorrow, we would bend over backwards to get you the money then, but at that point it’s too little too late,” Mellinger said.
He said he wants to be proactive and encourages other counties to do the same.
Pinson said the cost of technology will drop over time, and Alyssa’s Law allows more safety upgrades in the future.
Pinson said Jackson County is a perfect example of what kind of upgrades are possible.
“Right here in Jackson County, they are unveiling AI driven cameras that can immediately alert the school and local law enforcement if a person of concern were to come on campus,” he said.
Leaders hope this technology can save lives across West Virginia. Pinson said the initial cost for panic buttons is about $20,000 per school and the fund is held with Homeland Security until hitting the goal of about $10 million.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
GRAFTON, W.Va. — The 159th annual West Virginia Memorial Day Parade is set to take place in Grafton on May 25th. The parade will begin at 10 a.m.
This tradition that Grafton residents hold near and dear to their hearts has been recognized nationwide as the longest continuous running Memorial Day parade in the country.
“We tightened up our boot straps, and hopefully we will put on a very nice program and remember what the day is about this year,” Scott Willis, Parade Committee Chairman, said.
In 2016, the West Virginia Legislature designated Grafton’s parade as the Official Memorial Day Parade of West Virginia, a distinction earned through unwavering devotion, remembrance, and community pride.
“Grafton does it right, we really do,” Willis stated. “We hold true to what the day is about and understand the importance of Grafton, as it has the only national cemeteries in the state.”
As the parade continues to grow, Grafton hopes that more volunteers will continue to offer aid and assistance.
“We’re always looking for volunteers,” Willis said. “We’re a complete volunteer organization that puts this on every year.”
In addition to seeking volunteers, to further prepare for this event, Grafton will be hosting organizational meetings every Monday up until Memorial Day weekend at the City Council Chambers. The meetings will begin at 7 p.m. The meetings will aid in discussing volunteer work, logistics of the entire event, and consider some of the success in previous years.
“We feel we have a responsibility not only to the participants and the patrons of this, but our biggest responsibility is to those who lay beneath the white markers at both of our national cemeteries in Grafton because that’s what the day is about,” Willis added.
Those interested in learning more about the event or seeking to volunteer, may email parade@wvmemorialday.com or visit wvmemorialday.com.
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