U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito applauded today’s announcement from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) that West Virginia will benefit from federal funding to tackle the rising heroin epidemic and advance drug prevention initiatives in the Appalachia region.
ONDCP Director Michael Botticelli today announced $13.4 million in funding for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) across the country; $2.5 million will fund the Heroin Response Strategy, an unprecedented partnership among five regional HIDTA programs—Appalachia, New England, Philadelphia/Camden, New York/New Jersey and Washington/Baltimore—to address the severe heroin threat facing those communities through public health-public safety partnerships across 15 states. The Appalachia HIDTA, which includes West Virginia, will also receive nearly $400,000 to advance a range of drug use prevention initiatives in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.
“For the past several months, I have been working tirelessly with ONDCP Director Botticelli and officials at all levels to rein in the drug epidemic. This funding is an encouraging step in the right direction and will help the West Virginia families that have been devastated by drug addiction and the growing abuse of heroin,” said Capito. “The Heroin Response Strategy – the first program of its kind in our region – will give local law enforcement and health officials the ability to work together across state and local lines to curb trafficking and improve treatment and prevention. While we still have a long road ahead, I am encouraged that we are making meaningful strides toward a drug-free West Virginia.”
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Botticelli’s visit to West Virginia at Capito’s invitation. In June, Capito hosted Botticelli in Morgantown for a roundtable focused on drug prevention efforts in West Virginia and the resources needed to reduce drug use.
In April, Capito hosted a Drug Prevention Summit in Martinsburg with Michael Gottlieb, HIDTA’s national program director, and Tom Carr, executive director of the Washington-Baltimore HIDTA, who pledged to complete a needs assessment for an in-patient treatment center in West Virginia at the event.
“The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program helps federal, state, and local authorities to coordinate drug enforcement operations, support prevention efforts and improve public health and safety,” said Botticelli. “The new Heroin Response Strategy demonstrates a strong commitment to address the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic as both a public health and a public safety issue. This Administration will continue to expand community-based efforts to prevent drug use, pursue ‘smart on crime’ approaches to drug enforcement, increase access to treatment, work to reduce overdose deaths, and support the millions of Americans in recovery.”
In addition to convening drug prevention officials for several discussions about combatting drug abuse, Capito is pursuing solutions through legislation. In February, Capito introduced the Stop Drugs at the Border Act of 2015 with Senator Donnelly (D-Ind.) to combat increased heroin and methamphetamine trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico Border. She is also a co-sponsor of The FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act, The Opioid Overdose Reduction Act of 2015 and The Protecting our Infants Act.
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Capito has been a strong voice for HIDTA program funding. Eighteen counties in West Virginia are currently in the HIDTA Program. With Capito’s support, the committee recently passed the FY2016 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, which includes $245 million for the HIDTA program—a significant increase over the president’s request for $194 million.
