The martinsburg initiative's substance use prevention and treatment services - the purpose of this project, substance use prevention and treatment services, is to sustain and expand WVU medicine…

The martinsburg initiative's substance use prevention and treatment services - the purpose of this project, substance use prevention and treatment services, is to sustain and expand WVU medicine addictions program's efforts to increase access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment, stigma and harm reduction, provider and community education, and peer recovery support services within the hospital and community-based setting. Berkeley and jefferson counties in west virginia have been disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis. In 2021, there were a reported 81 fatal drug overdoses per 100,000 in berkeley county which was almost triple the national average in the same year (32.4 per 100,000); respectively jefferson county experienced 42 per 100,000 in 2021. The highly potent, synthetic opioid fentanyl is the primary cause of overdose in the eastern panhandle and west virginia overall. The proposed project will increase access to treatment and harm reduction services to reduce mortality and secondary harms associated with opioid use disorder and substance use disorder and increase the likelihood of sustained recovery. The project will provide an addictions program coordinator and program supervisor to oversee and expand current addiction services within berkeley and jefferson medical centers and the community setting. Both will conduct regular needs assessments and lead the expansion of peer recovery services to outpatient clinics and the community. They will work towards the creation of a fully mobile harm reduction and rural health unit to provide treatment and harm reduction to underserved areas. These roles will track program data and share findings via publications and national conferences. They will serve as liaison to community partners and physician practices and provide academic detailing to medical providers. They will also facilitate the creation of a TRI-state consortium including diverse community sectors and representatives from virginia and maryland hospital systems for better regional coordination of care. The project will work toward the following goals: 1: to increase capacity of WVU medicine eastern division's addictions program to identify and treat opioid use disorder among patients. 2: to reduce overdose fatalities in berkeley and jefferson counties by 10%. 3: lead TRI-state collaborative between west virginia, virginia, and maryland to coordinate efforts around addiction treatment