Fighting for Life in West Virginia

Winter 2017Leave a comment

The evolution of the nation’s drug epidemic has taken many turns. In Appalachia, leaders fought prescription pill addiction, and now heroin, while national leaders transitioned from a treatment-based approach to the War on Drugs. While the epidemic has changed and both federal and state entities have contemplated the best approach for combatting it, drug addiction remains a major problem, particularly in the Mountain State. Opioid-related deaths have quadrupled in the U.S. since 1999, and West Virginia ranked number one in drug overdoses in 2015. We’ve established what the problem is, but the question remains—how do we fix it?

The Cost of Care

Winter 2017Leave a comment

In a world where technology has made comparative shopping convenient and simple, Healthcare Bluebook is revolutionizing how people shop for health care while educating them on fair pricing and quality care. By Alicia Elkin & Samantha Cart Today, consumers have the power to search for lower prices at the click of a button for anything…

Introducing the Young Guns Class of 2017

Fall 2016Leave a comment

American scholar Warren Bennis once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”

True leaders are not only successful in growing their respective fields and achieving personal goals but in growing the successes of others. As West Virginia continues to forge a path toward prosperity, leaders across the state are making a discernable difference.

Our Broken Budget

Fall 2016Leave a comment

Some could see the $381 million revenue shortfall coming. Others were blindsided by it, recognizing a problem only after the regular legislative session ended without a budget bill. A steady flow of complaints with an undercurrent of urgency became the conversational norm among outraged citizens. If the budget bill wasn’t passed in time, state government would face a shutdown.

Run. Hide. Fight.: Surviving an Active Shooter Event

Fall 2016, UncategorizedLeave a comment

From 2000-2013, 160 active shooter situations occurred in the U.S., killing 486 individuals and wounding 557 others. An active shooter is defined as an individual who is actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a public place, regardless of the number of individuals wounded or killed. Through its Run. Hide. Fight. program, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has established a nationwide active shooter prevention effort by educating law enforcement departments and citizens on how to respond in these crises.