West Virginia
Morrisey's Consolidation Of Departments Has Began – West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Gov. Patrick Morrisey campaigned on “right sizing”. Now three days into Morrisey’s term as governor he’s proposing to restructure state departments.
The new governor took his cabinet appointments as an opportunity to usher in an era of fewer governmental departments.
In announcing five more cabinet appointments, Morrisey also announced plans to combine four state agencies into two.
Morrisey said he will work with lawmakers to pass legislation that would combine The Department of Arts, Culture and History with the Department of Tourism.
He said he also plans to work with the legislature to combine the Department of Commerce and the Department of Economic Development.
Morrisey, who ran on reducing the size of the state’s government, said this is just the beginning of the consolidation of state agencies.
“These are not going to be the end of the consolidation proposals,” Morrisey said. “You should expect that there will be a number of additional proposals in this area in the upcoming weeks.”
Morrisey said in the press conference that the state is staring down a budget deficit if the state doesn’t take necessary steps — including consolidations.
“Those efficiencies are even more important in light of what we’re going to be talking about next,” he said “The era of big spending is over.”
The new secretary of the Department of Commerce will be the current West Virginia Republican Party Chair, Mathew Herridge.
Chelsea Ruby, who has been the secretary of tourism for the past eight years, was reappointed.
Morrisey didn’t name secretaries for the Department of Arts, Culture and History or the Department of Economic Development.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting falls under the Department of Arts, Culture and History.
Morrisey announced two more appointments Thursday.
Stephen Todd Rumbaugh was appointed the secretary of transportation and commissioner of highways. Arvin Singh was appointed secretary of health.
WHEELING, W.Va. — Wheeling is home to West Virginia’s first recovery program designed specifically for young adults, offering a new track aimed at people ages 18 to 24 who are working to overcome substance use disorders.
Youth Services System announced it will offer the recovery track at the McCrary Center in Wheeling for young adults dealing with opioid or stimulant use disorders. The program is designed to provide recovery-focused housing and support services, giving participants a safe, structured environment as they work toward long-term recovery and stability.
“Our transitional living program has been licensed by the Department of Human Services, as well as the Office of Health Facility Licensure. We also achieved the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residence certification so there will be a lot of oversight in this program. And we look forward to our continued work with them,” YSS CEO Jill Eddy said.
Youth Services System received a one-time grant through the West Virginia Bureau of Behavioral Health to help expand services and launch the new track in Wheeling.
“Research shows that the longer a person is provided a safe space while in recovery, the chances of their success in recovery and remaining sober is definitely increased,” Eddy said.
Services will include substance-free and MAT-friendly housing, peer recovery support, therapy, recovery planning, and overdose prevention education. The program also supports individuals with co-occurring mental health conditions and prioritizes high-risk and underserved populations.
More information about Youth Services System is available here.
BUCKHANNON, W.Va (WDTV) – WestCare West Virginia cut the ribbon for its Hope in the Mountains complex on 22 N. Locust Street. The new facility will treat men with substance abuse issues with the hopes of fighting the drug epidemic in West Virginia.
Each room in the complex includes 56 beds, a television set and clean bathroom. Stephen Wright spoke ahead of the ribbon cutting along with Buckhannon officials. He said this facility differs from others on how they approach treatment.
“We really focus on the individual and the individual needs and focus on their progress in the program versus a number of days that a person is in treatment. So it’s really individualized,” said Stephen Wright, chief operating officer of WestCare Appalachia. “So we still need aftercare, outpatient counseling, and those things. But this really gives an opportunity for an intervention to break that cycle for individuals struggling with addiction. Because lots of times they must be separated from the living circumstances that they’re in at that time.”
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A federal appeals court agreed to rehear West Virginia’s request to lift an injunction barring enforcement of state restrictions against drugmakers seeking to limit discounts to pharmacies under a federal program.
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted Thursday West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey’s request to rehear en banc arguments over a preliminary injunction. All active judges in the court will review the case after a three-judge panel in March ruled to keep the state’s SB 325 temporarily blocked while litigation plays out over the law.
The court said the case is scheduled for oral argument …
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