West Virginia Executive Winter 2020 | Page 48

In Numbers Editor’s Note: These numbers were last updated in March 2019. For more information, visit www.drugabuse.gov/opioid-summaries-by-state/west-virginia-opioid-summary. • In 2017, the rate of drug overdose deaths involving opioids in West Virginia was 49.6 per 100,000 people. • By comparison, the national rate in 2017 was 14.6 deaths per 100,000 people. • Between 2014-2017, deaths involving heroin also increased significantly, from 163 to 244 . • In that same three-year period, prescription opioid-involved deaths decreased by 20% from 383 to 304 . • In 2017, West Virginia providers wrote 81.3 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons compared to the average U.S. rate of 58.7 prescriptions. Source: National Institute of Drug Abuse According to Mullins, the latest estimates for the number of individuals who can live in recovery residences at any one time in West Virginia exceeds 1,800. One example is Recovery Point, which offers long-term residential recovery programs. With locations in Bluefield, Charleston, Huntington and Parkersburg, its services include peer recovery support, individual counseling, mental health and substance use disorder assessments, case management and group therapy services. “Our clients are a combination of people from off the streets and those who are court ordered,” says Jones. “Potential clients can show willingness by being placed on our waiting list and calling daily to check their status or bed availability. Those coming from the criminal justice system have a structured intake process that involves detailed communication and scheduling with court-appointed attorneys, prosecutors, judges, probation and parole officers and others. We also accept referrals from other treatment and recovery providers who have clients who might be a fit for our specific type of programming.” Smart Office Reduce Your Office Operating Expenses With Us! Look to KOMAX Business Systems when you need to increase productivity and reduce operating costs. We can also provide service and supplies for you current printer fleet. • Multifunction Printing Systems • Production Print Systems • Wide Format Systems • IT Services / Managed IT • Print Cost Recovery • Folder & Inserter Solutions • Document Imaging & Management • Paper Shredders • OCR & Document Conversions • Managed Print Services - MPS • Postage Meters (Service for HP, Lexmark, Dell, etc.) 500 D Street South Charleston, WV 25303 (304) 744-7440 Visit us at: www.komaxwv.com 46 WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE Clinical Assessments To receive treatment for substance use disorder, patients are encouraged to contact a clinical professional for an assessment. The DHHR prioritizes assessments and treatments that are evidence based, individualized and provided by trained