The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute (WV DII) has been awarded $478,000 by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to create employment opportunities for people in recovery and expand access to the life-saving overdose reversal drug, naloxone. In partnership with the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) and HarborPath, the funding will assist WV DII in establishing a new community outreach and employment program to combat the economic effects of SUD and build a stronger recovery ecosystem across 15 high-risk counties in West Virginia and Kentucky.
The program will provide employment opportunities for up to 10 individuals in recovery and/or the justice system; working with local police departments and the PAARI Recovery Corps to educate community members about the use of the overdose reversal drug naloxone, overdose prevention and SUD treatment and recovery resources. The project will also include the distribution of the ONEbox, an emergency opioid response kit designed to provide on-demand training for response to overdose within these communities.
The award is part of a recently announced nearly $14 million package through ARC’s Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative, which addresses the region’s substance use disorder crisis with investments that strengthen services in the recovery ecosystem and helps facilitate workforce entry and re-entry.
“I commend the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute for their work supporting the recovery ecosystem in our region. They are integral to bringing our INSPIRE projects to life,” says ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “WV DII is a great asset in our efforts to address the region’s substance use disorder crisis, and I look forward to seeing how they will help build a strong recovery ecosystem and a stronger workforce for the opportunities of tomorrow.”
