Health

October 19, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
Advocates Discuss Black Infant And Maternal Health With Lawmakers

West Virginia Public Broadcasting, West Virginia News - The Black Infant and Maternal Health Working Group hosted a breakfast and meet and greet with lawmakers Monday at the capitol. Read the full article. The event brought together advocates, affected community members, health professionals, and policymakers to address Black infant and maternal health outcomes in West…

Read More
October 19, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Substance Abuse Fuels Foster Care Surge. Think Tank Searches for Solutions.

West Virginia MetroNews - West Virginia’s drug overdose mortality rate is the highest in the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1,500 West Virginians will have died from a drug overdose from May 2022 to May of this year. Read the full article. In addition, thousands more West Virginians have drug problems. A survey…

Read More
September 27, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
Health of Black Mothers and Babies in WV Will Be Focus of Meeting

West Virginia Watch - West Virginia’s poor Black infant and maternal health outcomes will be the focus of a two-day meeting in Charleston next month. Read the full article. The event, Empowering Black Infant and Maternal Health Progress in West Virginia, is scheduled for Oct. 15 and 16 in the  WVSSPA Conference Center, 1610 Washington…

Read More
September 12, 2023 by WVCBP
New Report Examines the High Costs of Cheap Food in West Virginia Prisons

For Immediate Release: September 12, 2023 Contact: Sara Whitaker, 304-610-6391 Charleston, WV – Since 2015, West Virginia prisons have sent more than $57.1 million out of state to pay for food served in its prisons. Privatizing prison food has resulted in poorer food quality and worse health outcomes. A 2022 class-action lawsuit filed against the Department of Corrections and…

Read More
August 29, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
25,000 West Virginia Kids Have Lost Coverage So Far As Medicaid Transitions to Pre-Pandemic Rules

After months of preparation by the state’s health agency, advocates, and other stakeholders, the COVID-19 continuous coverage rules keeping many children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ended in April 2023. Between April 2023 and April 2024, the state must unwind (or redetermine eligibility for) all Medicaid enrollees and remove ineligible…

Read More
July 12, 2023 by Seth DiStefano
SNAP: Do The Hungry Get More Policy Than Nutrition?

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - More than 12 percent of Americans, or 42 million people, need help getting enough food to eat. Listen to the full Us & Them podcast episode. In West Virginia, that number is about 18 percent. That help comes from a federal program called SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,…

Read More
June 8, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
An Early Look at the End of Medicaid’s Public Health Emergency

West Virginia, alongside the rest of the nation, began rolling some residents off of Medicaid in April upon expiration of the three-year continuous coverage protection triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic downturn. The flexibilities implemented during that time helped keep many West Virginians healthy and economically stable. And while the federally-recognized COVID-19 public health…

Read More
May 25, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
Black Infant and Maternal Mortality Must Be a Priority in West Virginia

Infants and birthing parents are dying at alarming rates in West Virginia. Infant and maternal mortality rates are essential statistics measuring overall societal health. In particular, the disparities in life outcomes between Black and white babies and mothers raise questions about health equity and the ability of our health care system to respond to both…

Read More
May 11, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
Arriving At The New Normal

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - Today, Thursday, May 11, the U.S. officially canceled the designation of COVID-19 as a public health emergency in the country. Read the full article. Also this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed its designation for COVID-19 as a “global health emergency.” For the first time in more than three…

Read More
May 3, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Enacted PEIA Legislation Will Have Multi-year Impacts on Enrollees and State Budget

One of the most significant pieces of legislation passed in West Virginia this year was SB 268, which overhauled the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) to address the program’s solvency and preserve the provider network after years of state inaction following the 2018 teachers’ and service personnel strike and Governor Jim Justice’s promise to freeze…

Read More