Университет Питтсбурга и округ Кэбелл заключили партнерство для борьбы с наркоманией

Cabell County partners with University of Pittsburgh on addiction treatment project CABELL COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — For years, Cabell County has been considered ground zero for the nation's substance abuse crisis. On Thursday, county commissioners took a major step forward by securing grant funding and partnering with the University of Pittsburgh to help more people find a path to recovery. The announcement comes 10 years after a drug overdose crisis that saw 26 people overdose within four hours in Cabell County. On Thursday morning, commissioners proclaimed September as National Recovery Month as part of the West Virginia Goes Purple movement, which aims to raise awareness about substance use disorder and recovery. "We are all on the same team," Bill Stewart said. "We are all part of awareness and all part of trying to see people get better." Stewart believes one of the biggest barriers preventing people from seeking help is the stigma surrounding addiction. "I believe it's the stigma, that we label people as junkies," he said. To help improve recovery efforts and increase access to treatment, Cabell County commissioners voted to begin the process of partnering with the University of Pittsburgh on a new research project. "They want to try and come up with what they believe is the best process, one of the things they suggested works the best," Cabell County EMS Director Veronica Swope said. Swope said the project is designed to identify the most effective ways to encourage people struggling with addiction to seek treatment. The research effort will span four years, with Cabell County receiving $60,000 in grant funding each year to help implement the strategies being studied. "It might be something like having someone go with EMS every time there is an overdose call," Swope said. In addition to the University of Pittsburgh, Boston Medical Center, Duke University and the University of Miami are participating in the initiative. Each institution will conduct research in a different location. "It could be a win-win for the entire United States if we can figure out what the best practice is to get people to go to rehab and stay clean," Swope said. The project is expected to begin in Cabell County within the next 60 days.