WV DHHR: 4 of nearly 900 TANF applicants test positive for drugs

By Erin Beck Staff writer, Jan 12, 2018  |  (See Original Story) In the nearly three months since the state began drug testing low-income people applying for financial help from the state, four of the nearly 900 applicants tested positive, an official with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources said. A representative of the National Conference of ... Read More

(RFP) Drug Free Moms and Babies Project Expansion

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership is requesting proposals to fund comprehensive, integrated programs for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders (SUD). The goal of the Drug Free Moms and Babies (DFMB) Project Expansion is to develop, evaluate, document, and replicate programs that support healthy baby outcomes by providing prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery ... Read More

Amid opioid crisis, drug firm cites WV infant rehab clinic for possible fault

Lily’s Place is a Huntington-based treatment center for helping drug-addicted babies get through withdrawal Eric Eyre, Staff Writer August 9, 2017 - Charleston Gazette-Mail (See original story) Pic (Lily’s Place is a Huntington-based treatment center for helping drug-addicted babies get through withdrawal.) In a bid to dilute responsibility for West Virginia’s opioid epidemic, one of the nation’s largest drug distributors ... Read More

Health departments offer incentive for expectant mothers to quit smoking

The Herald-Dispatch | (View the original story) Jan 4, 2017 Updated Jan 4, 2017 CHARLESTON — Pregnant women in Kanawha and Putnam counties who use tobacco products now have an added incentive to quit. Baby & Me Tobacco Free is a smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco use on pregnant women and newborn mothers and children. An … Read More

2016 WV Perinatal Summit Presentations & Photos

On November 14 & 15, 2016 the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership held its annual Summit at the Charleston Marriott Town Center. View the 2016 West Virginia Perinatal Summit program and presentations. View the PHOTO GALLERY There is nothing to show here! Slider with alias 2016-Summit-Images not found.

Rate of babies going through opiate withdrawal skyrockets

By Wayne Drash, CNN | Updated 7:24 AM ET, Tue December 13, 2016 | See the original CNN story Huntington, West Virginia (CNN) — The high-pitched, inconsolable screams of babies born dependent on heroin and other opiates echo across the otherwise quiet facility. The babies also shake, vomit and suffer from diarrhea. But it is their shrill screams that caretakers … Read More

Rise in Infant Drug Dependence Is Felt Most in Rural Areas

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUISDEC. 12, 2016 | Read the New York Times Story As the opioid epidemic sweeps through rural America, an ever-greater number of drug-dependent newborns are straining hospital neonatal units and draining precious medical resources. The problem has grown more quickly than realized and shows no signs of abating, researchers reported on Monday. Their study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, concludes … Read More

Education, public health organizations & others join calls for $1 cigarette tax hike

By Shauna Johnson in News (WV MetroNews) | April 28, 2016 at 1:16PM CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An increase of at least $1 to the state tax on a pack of cigarettes could make the difference for West Virginia’s physical and fiscal health, according to representatives from a coalition of West Virginia education, public health and faith-based community organizations. As state budget … Read More

Advocates make renewed call for $1 tobacco tax increase

By Lydia Nuzum, Staff Writer, Charleston Gazette-Mail Thursday, April 28, 2016 Proponents of a $1 increase in West Virginia’s tobacco tax said Thursday that the struggling proposal is a “no-brainer” for the state with some of the highest rates of smoking among both teens and adults and an existing tax lower than that of 45 other states. On Thursday, a … Read More