Last year, the WVCBP launched the first-ever online database of people who died in West Virginia jails and prisons. Because the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) does not publicly disclose when a person dies in their facilities, the WVCBP created The Quantez Burks Report, a list of people who died behind bars, updated monthly. The…
Health
Overview In 2025, the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy (WVCBP) created The Quantez Burks Report, the first-ever public database of people who died in West Virginia jails and prisons. The WVCBP named the project for Mr. Burks, a 37-year-old Raleigh County man killed by Southern Regional Jail staff in March 2022. The WVCBP…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - A higher percentage of West Virginians are obese than in any other part of the country. Read the full article. With the state now poised to lose hundreds of millions of dollars annually in federal health care funding, Gov. Patrick Morrisey plans to embrace a “food-is-medicine” movement to bridge the gap and…
Infant and maternal mortality rates are often considered an indicator for the overall health and well-being of a community. West Virginia's rate of infant deaths is higher than the national average and Black babies are twice as likely to die in the prenatal period of their first year of life as white babies. Similarly, Black…
Times West Virginian, Yahoo News - After 15 months of unproductive efforts to speak to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, six protesters led by clergy in Morgantown decided a firmer statement was needed. Read the full article. Following the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. on his holiday, they put real stakes on the line to…
West Virginia Watch - With monthly premiums spiking for many, about 10,000 fewer West Virginians signed up for health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s healthcare.gov marketplace this year compared to last, according to preliminary data released this week by the federal government. Read the full article. As of the first week of January, 55,127 state residents had…
West Virginia’s Fatality and Mortality Review Team (FMRT) recently published their 2025 annual report, which offers the latest available data and insights into the causes of infant and maternal deaths in the state. These measures serve as two key indicators of overall health in the state. Infant Mortality in West Virginia Infant mortality measures the number…
West Virginia Watch, Beckley Register-Herald, Times West Virginian, Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia state agencies — in charge of schools, road repairs, foster care and more — along with the state Supreme Court have been asked by the Morrisey administration to cut their budgets by 2%. Read the full article. Additionally, an August memo from the Department…
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Morgan Messenger - Diabetes, obesity and “seven pillars” of health care to combat them were the topic of a panel discussion Friday, which focused heavily on the $199.5 million in grants West Virginia is set to receive through the federal Rural Healthcare Transformation Fund. Read the full article. Facilitated as part of the…
Mountain State Spotlight - In recent months, much attention has been focused on Congress and whether lawmakers would vote to fund premium discounts for people who get their health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. Read the full article. But health care costs are increasing for everyone, from those paying higher Marketplace premiums, to those…