Last week, lawmakers in West Virginia moved closer on a plan to “seize $24 million in recent drug lawsuit settlement funds” to put the money towards increasing beds in drug treatment facilities throughout the state. The measure, known as HB 2428, was passed in the House of Delegates with a unanimous vote, and will actually charge the Virginia Department of Health and Human Resource (DHHR) with the responsibility of using the money to “make extra treatment beds available by July 2018.”
Last week, lawmakers in West Virginia moved closer on a plan to “seize $24 million in recent drug lawsuit settlement funds” to put the money towards increasing beds in drug treatment facilities throughout the state. The measure, known as HB 2428, was passed in the House of Delegates with a unanimous vote, and will actually charge the Virginia Department of Health and Human Resource (DHHR) with the responsibility of using the money to “make extra treatment beds available by July 2018.”
As of right now, the $24 million “from recent settlements with drug wholesalers Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen,” will be set aside in an account “called the Ryan Brown Addiction Prevention Recovery Fund — named after a Charleston man who died of a heroin overdose nearly three years ago.” If anything, the bill will be another step towards offering adequate drug treatment services to citizens across the state. As Delegate Brent Boggs, D-Braxton, said recently, “they need treatment, and we don’t have the facilities to do it. This starts the ball rolling.”
In addition to being responsible for adding beds to existing state-run facilities, the DHHR will have to decide whether or not to build a new drug treatment center and whether to contract with privately owned facilities. According to an article in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “under the bill, the facilities would offer long-term substance abuse treatment and work with drug courts.”
But why was such a bill introduced in the first place? Well, it was originally introduced in light of West Virginia’s unnerving drug statistics. Just last year, the state had the “highest drug overdose death rate in the nation, and fatal overdoses reached a record number.” Delegate Ed Evans, D-McDowell agrees, and even said, “in my area, drugs have become an absolute scourge. They are ruining families, decimating our economy, putting young people in jail and on and on.”
In a statement, House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha said:
“This bill is the next piece of the puzzle. This will give us the additional facilities and beds we need to provide hope and treatment opportunities to our fellow West Virginians who are desperately seeking help to combat their addictions.”
So where exactly is the money coming from? Well, according to the West Virginia Attorney General’s office, “the DHHR and the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety (DMAPS) each received $8 million from the January settlement with the drug wholesalers.” The state Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey, “put his share in his office’s consumer protection account.” while “DHHR and DMAPS placed their settlement monies in a special account at the State Auditor’s office.” From there, the DHHR, along with DMAPS, “announced plans to set up a grant program to distribute the money for drug treatment, prevention, and enforcement measures.”
Now that the bill has passed the House, it will move on to the Senate.
Sources:
House OKs plan to use drug settlement funds to add beds at treatment centers
W.Va. House passes bill to increase capacity in substance abuse treatment centers
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