Latest news with #WestVirginiaFirstFoundation
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
West Virginia First Foundation recognizes grant recipients fighting substance use crisis
SUTTON, (WBOY) — About a year after opening its doors, the West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF) celebrated those who have received its Initial Opportunity Grant on Tuesday. The WVFF opened up applications for the grant around eight months ago, and Tuesday marked the end of the grant period in which the WVFF awarded $17 million to 94 projects throughout West Virginia to address substance use disorder. The recipients, including non-profits, community organizations, local governments and law enforcement, gathered Tuesday to be recognized. CJIS holds memorial ceremony for fallen West Virginia law enforcement officers 'We're celebrating the doers of the state, the people that are the tip of the spear. They've gone through a very challenging and robust application process and they've proven the worth of these projects. They are all so valuable and these are the folks that take these tools that we can provide and get them back into the communities,' Jonathan Board, Executive Director of West Virginia First Foundation, said Several times throughout the event, speakers mentioned how there was a 43% decrease in overdose deaths in West Virginia in 2024, but the West Virginia First Foundation said that there's still a lot of work to be done. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Fairmont completes opioid grant distribution process
FAIRMONT — After a year of work, the City of Fairmont is ready to accept applications for its opioid grant funding. 'The purpose of these grants has always been to address the opioid crisis in our state,' Grant Administrator Rene Graves said in a press release. 'We wanted to make sure we took a thoughtful approach in our dissemination of these funds, so we created this process to get these dollars in the hands of the organizations on the front line.' The City of Fairmont received an allocation of $466,000 in December 2023. The money came after various pharmaceuticals settled with the State of West Virginia after being accused of allowing an addiction crisis to proliferate throughout the state. 'We want to make sure they're gonna use that money in the correct way to do the right thing,' Graves said in a July 2024 city council meeting. 'If they're supposed to help somebody with substance abuse disorder but really they want to decorate an apartment, we want to make sure they're going to do what they say they're going to do. Because if they don't, then that is not just a misuse of funds. It's misusing the whole point of all of this and it's not going to ultimately help those that need the help.' Graves and other members of city staff designed the plan according to the statewide Memorandum of Understanding created by the West Virginia First Foundation, which outlines how the money from the settlement should be used. City officials said in the release that individuals or communities that have been impacted by the opioid epidemic can apply for up to $100,000 in grant funds if they work directly with demographic groups that were impacted by the epidemic and $50,000 if they work indirectly. Grants will require a commitment of $20,000 in matching funds from each applicant. The city is willing to consider waivers on a case by case basis. The city's new Ad Hoc Opioid Fund Review Committee will use a rubric to review and score each application for eligibility. 'It was very important to me, as a member of council, that we not be frivolous with this money,' Councilmember Rebecca Moran said in the release. 'I'd like to thank City Staff for their work in making this as robust of a process as possible. I can't wait to see what these organizations do with these funds.' City Manager Travis Blosser said in 2024 that the City wanted to ensure there wasn't any misappropriation of opioid funds. To that end, he worked with staffers who devised the program that was announced Monday. 'We very easily could establish a process and just start awarding money,' Blosser said. 'That's not how we functioned with our Facade Improvement Program or other funding strategies. And I think that's important for some of the comments you heard about misappropriation of COVID dollars and other things. We want to make sure those things don't happen because that's harmful. If that happens, that's harmful to us. And that's harmful to everybody in the community.'
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WV First Foundation requests proposals for statewide needs assessment to help guide future funding
The West Virginia First Foundation issued a request for proposals on for organizations interested in performing a statewide needs assessment survey that will help guide the nonprofit's future grant distributions. (Leann Ray | West Virginia Watch) The West Virginia First Foundation issued a request for proposals on Friday for organizations interested in performing a statewide needs assessment survey that will help guide the nonprofit's future grant distributions. The First Foundation — a private nonprofit tasked with disbursing millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds to projects meant to confront West Virginia's ongoing drug and overdose epidemic — is looking for people or firms with expertise in public health research, data analytics, community engagement and policy evaluations to submit proposals for the needs assessment, according to a news release issued Friday. The needs assessment survey has been discussed by First Foundation leaders since the organization began meeting in 2023. According to the RFP posted this week, the assessment will look at what addiction services currently exist in West Virginia and identify gaps in needs both by geography and types of service. The survey should demonstrate and provide evidence of how different localities compare regarding the burden put on them by substance use disorder. Such a model, according to the RFP, should be built in a way to show changes over time in an attempt to figure out what works and what doesn't in responding to addiction. The survey will also look at how money is spent on addiction services and response, taking account of every dollar spent from all funding sources for such services at the county and state level. This will help to create a 'common definition' of 'Health Return on Investment,' meaning how far each dollar spent goes in improving the health and wellbeing of communities and individuals affected by substance use disorder. This 'Health Return on Investment' will be used to produce a new methodology that can be applied in areas needing new kinds of services while assisting the Foundation in prioritizing future funding, according to the RFP. Through research and interviews with stakeholders — including public health experts, those who work in the field, members of the First Foundation, local leaders and more — the needs assessment will 'define a set of core foundational addiction services that should be available to all West Virginia residents.' Per the RFP, all information collected through the needs assessment will be built into a public-facing dashboard that will allow 'rapid analysis of where to deploy future investments.' First Foundation leaders have been clear that priorities for upcoming funding cycles for the organization will be led by results found in the needs assessment survey. Last year — without the needs assessment done — the First Foundation targeted funding at four addiction response areas where work was already underway: Diversion programs to keep people out of the criminal justice system, youth prevention and workforce development, programming to support children, babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome and families affected by substance use disorder and the expansion of transitional and recovery housing. While $19.2 million was made available for grants in 2024 — of which 174 organizations applied for — only $10.4 million was actually distributed. The Foundation announced in December that a secondary grant cycle was being opened to disburse the remaining $8.8 in funds. Those who applied for the first round but who weren't selected to receive the money were given technical assistance to round out their applications and reapply for the second round. Awardees for the second round of grants have yet to be selected. Those interested in applying to perform the needs assessment survey have until March 21 to submit questions regarding the RFP to the Foundation. Answers will be returned by March 28. Formal responses to the RFP must be received by the First Foundation by April 18. As of Feb. 28, the First Foundation held about $297 million in its bank accounts. The Foundation is scheduled to have its first quarterly meeting of 2025 at 10 a.m. on March 20. Meetings are held virtually and can be accessed via Google Meet by this link: SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opioid dollars will help fund new sheriff's office
princeton — Renovations now underway at the Mercer County Sheriff's Department headquarters were boosted Tuesday when the Mercer County Commission unanimously approved $100,000 in opioid settlement money for the project. In March 2024, the commission approved a $1.75 million American Rescue Plan grant which allowed the sheriff's department to buy the Mercer County Professional Building which is located next door to the Mercer County Courthouse. The building once housed a bank and has been used as office space by various agencies. The sheriff's department now operates out of the courthouse's basement, a situation which does not allow its deputies and other personnel much room for their duties. Sheriff Alan Christian spoke Tuesday about his department's request for $100,000 in opioid settlement funds to help convert the building into its new headquarters. County Commission President Bill Archer said that since the department's request is for opioid settlement funding, it does not impact the county's general revenue. 'I'll provide you with a quick guide to what we've got going on at the new building,' Christian told the commissioners. 'We ran into our first setback (Monday) with the building,' Christian said. 'Apparently, whoever did the renovations prior to us decided to do a big filler on some of those with sand, so it caused what you could call a 2-inch dip and we had to tear it out, go and refill it. Not a huge deal.' The discovery showed how problems can appear unexpectedly, he said. 'When you're doing renovations, you have no idea what you're getting into,' Christian said. 'So that's why we're asking for the little extra leeway just in case.' The sheriff's department has already saved $10,000 when buying computers from a company, he said. 'There's no reason for us to pay $500 for our monitors, so we went to save some money and we expect to do the same with this,' Christian said. 'But we just like to have it (extra funds) just in case so I'm not having to come back again and ask for more money which I will be, but I appreciate it and forever.' The project is now in its second phase. The next phase will include getting furniture and working on the building's exterior. Christian said the department hopes to move in by July. Christian said the department also planned to ask for Archer's help to put together an archive about past deputies. 'We're going to have a little museum, if you will, for those folks who gave their lives to this county and deserves some recognition,' Christian said. Commissioner Greg Puckett said he had spoken with the West Virginia First Foundation, which helps manage the state's settlement from opioid manufacturers, about how future funding requests will be addressed. 'I did go through with the West Virginia First Foundation. I've got their grant application and sort of where they've gone with settlement funding from the state,' he said. 'Of course, that's in addition to what the counties actually get throughout the state. I have a resolution that looks to put together a task force team that looks at all requests. That way, there's a broad based sort of input from the community. 'This (department's request) would obviously supersede that because it's a direct need that has to do with our sheriff's department, but for all other opioid requests. I should have that memorandum set and then to start the team process soon and then grant applications would be based on the availability of funds to the community,' Puckett said. The county now has around $2.6 million in opioid settlement funds, he said. ''We are taking those and putting those into an interest earnings account; so, for all the monies that we do have in there during this period of time, it is earning which gives us additional monies in which to work with, which is extremely valuable,' Puckett said. 'Hopefully we can get that and keep a $1.5 million minimum in there at all times.' If the county keeps $1.5 million in the account and, based on the current interest rates the county has with New People's Bank, the county could between from $75,000 to $80,000 a year in interest income, Puckett said. 'That would give us project money to move it forward and keep that going forever and ever if all goes well,' he said. Puckett and Commissioner Brian Blankenship supported the funding request. The request was approved unanimously. 'All that being said, I do think this is a great request because it's putting our sheriff's office in good standing, opening that up and allowing for the expansion of our sheriff's office,' Puckett said. 'I just want to say we appreciate your due diligence and everybody over there looking out where you can and how you can save,' said Blankenship. 'You know, they're doing a lot of the work themselves.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WV First Foundation board member testifies before U.S. Senate on opioids
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A board member with the West Virginia First Foundation testified on the Senate floor in Washington, DC, about the effects of the opioid epidemic on West Virginia senior citizens in late February. Greg Duckworth, who is also president of Raleigh County Commission, was invited by Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Justice to speak before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, speaking on the financial, emotional and practical struggles senior citizens face as they help to rear grandchildren and to support adult children who are addicted to opioids. Sen. Justice introduced Duckworth and prompted an open discussion on opioids and senior citizens. 'Preserving Black Churches' grant aims to save more sites like New Salem Baptist Church 'Greg Duckworth is an incredible man, and we've worked hard together in the state to combat the opioid crisis that has devastated West Virginia families,' Sen. Justice said. 'I'm proud to have him here representing West Virginia, and it is encouraging to see opioid-related deaths decline in the state over the past few years, but we cannot get complacent.' Duckworth told 59News on Thursday, February 27, 2025, that the opioid epidemic has changed life for many families in the state. WVEA president says WV schools could lose millions if Trump Administration closes Department of Education 'When a grandparent is raising a grandchild, we're missing a generation out of that family's family tree, and it has huge effects, and it's like fires and floods,' he said, referring to the opioid crisis. 'It destroys everything it touches.' WVFF is a private, non-profit that was established to address the opioid crisis and its impact on the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
