West Virginia University is tackling the state's addiction crisis on a variety of fronts with a range of paths for treatment and recovery including clinical trials, medication and programs. The university is laying groundwork for a path forward communities and families affected by the addiction crisis.
West Virginia University researcher Judith Feinberg has partnered with colleagues at Yale University to integrate services for opioid use disorder, the hepatitis C virus and HIV in 20 primary care clinics across West Virginia. The National Institute on Drug Abuse expects to award over $6.6 million during the five-year project.
West Virginia Clinical & Translational Science Institute Director of Community Programs/Project ECHO Jay Mason was awarded a $100,000 sub-award for a project with Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts titled “Enhancing and Expanding MAT in Southern Appalachian Communities.”
About 90% of Americans who need treatment for a substance use disorder don’t get it. West Virginia University researchers have developed a program that allows people who have already walked the path of substance use disorder through recovery to be their guides to a healthier life.
Patients with substance use disorder will be able to better connect with emergency department-initiated treatment programs at participating hospitals throughout the state, thanks to a partnership between West Virginia University Office of Health Affairs, Marshall University and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
On the heels of the country’s deadliest year for drug overdoses, the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute launched a first-in-the-world clinical trial to investigate the use of focused ultrasound technology to treat those with opioid use disorder.
The effects of social distancing and self-quarantine are weighing on all Americans, but a WVU expert in addiction studies suggests that individuals with substance use disorders who are in the recovery process may be more vulnerable to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
The West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and WVU Medicine announced the launch of a first-in-the-U.S. clinical trial using deep brain stimulation for patients suffering from treatment-resistant opioid use disorder in November 2019.
Researchers at West Virginia University are fighting West Virginia’s opioid epidemic with new professional development opportunities for social workers. Two new initiatives in the WVU School of Social Work are working to meet these needs by expanding trainings for the state’s social workers and growing the workforce.
WVU researchers Laura Lander and Patrick Marshalek, affiliated with the School of Medicine and Chestnut Ridge Center, are investigating ways to pharmacologically treat opioid use disorder in pregnant patients without putting the women’s or fetuses’ health at risk.
West Virginia continues to be devastated by the opioid epidemic, leading the nation in overdose death rates. To address this growing crisis, the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute has expanded its Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) program to broaden use of medication-assisted treatment, a combination of behavioral therapy and medication to treat individuals with substance use disorder.
Up to 20 percent of people with opioid use disorder may not respond to standard treatment. A new study at West Virginia University seeks to understand why.
While WVU has made significant progress in tackling the epidemic of substance use during pregnancy, providers are continuing to improve – by standardizing care of pregnant women with substance use problems, formalizing identification and treatment of newborns with withdrawal, and investigating alternative treatments for managing pain, such as acupuncture, chiropractic or massage.