WVU is leading a statewide effort to determine how three-quarters of the Mountain State’s opioid settlement funding should be spent with a focus on identifying gaps and determining where resources will be most effective. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)
Combining expertise with community involvement, West Virginia University is leading a statewide effort to bring data, transparency and accountability to the allocation of nearly three-quarters of the $1 billion in West Virginia’s opioid settlement funding.
Commissioned by the West Virginia First Foundation, the WVU Health Affairs Institute, in partnership with the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs and Data Driven WV in the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics, is conducting an 18-month, data-driven needs assessment to better understand substance use disorder through an evaluation of how the disease continues to affect people, families and communities across West Virginia.
As a private, nonprofit organization tasked with advancing an interoperable statewide network, the First Foundation’s partnership with these various WVU units is shaping the foundation for a more coordinated, statewide system.
Called the West Virginia Wayfinder, this initiative is taking a comprehensive look at the scope of the opioid crisis, the services currently in place and how those services are funded.
Findings will help identify where gaps remain and where resources can be most effective.
“This initiative shows how WVU combines expertise and resources to fulfill its land-grant mission,” President Michael T. Benson said. “WVU is committed to improving lives throughout the state, and there is no better way to do that than by bringing together our public health, data analytics, policy and community experts to help drive informed decisions on a statewide initiative that could save lives for generations.”
Dr. Clay Marsh, chancellor and executive dean for WVU Health Sciences, said the University team will deliver timely insights and practical next steps, along with a public-facing dashboard to help guide future funding decisions.
“West Virginia has faced the weight of this crisis longer than most, and we owe it to our communities to let data lead the way,” Dr. Marsh said.
“We are proud to partner with the West Virginia First Foundation on this critical work and honored that WVU was selected to lead this statewide effort. The West Virginia Wayfinder initiative is a commitment to ensuring every opioid settlement dollar reaches the people and places that need it most. By combining the University’s public health expertise with real community insight, we can model what fair and equitable recovery looks like — for West Virginia and for the nation.”
“The Health Affairs Institute is thrilled to work with the West Virginia First Foundation, our collaborating partners across WVU and others throughout the state on this important initiative,” said Dr. Jeff Coben, director of WVU Health Affairs Institute.
“This project exemplifies how we work in partnership with agencies and organizations across the state to optimize the delivery of programs and services that address the health and health care needs of West Virginians.”
Rather than a one-time assessment, the goal is to create a resource that will serve as an ongoing tool in the fight against substance use disorder in West Virginia, according to Rebecca Gillam, Health Affairs Institute senior research scientist and project leader.
“We will be working to create and maintain an interactive dashboard to help WVFF and state leaders strategically prioritize new initiatives to combat these challenges,” Gillam said.
As a West Virginian, Joshua Meadows, executive director of Data Driven WV, said this work is deeply personal.
“We are not just analyzing data. We are working to represent the experiences of our families, our neighbors and our communities. West Virginia Wayfinder is about bringing together rigorous analytics and experiences from communities to ensure we are making decisions that truly reflect the realities on the ground,” Meadows said.
“One of our priorities is ensuring resources are aligned with need in a way that is fair and transparent. By building a clearer picture of where gaps exist and where services are already working, we can help understand the investments that have the greatest impact for individual communities across West Virginia.”
It’s work that translates to policy.
“Amid the ruggedness of Appalachia, a key problem is developing systems that allow communities to learn from themselves over time and from each other across space,” Sam Workman, director for the WVU Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs, said. “This partnership aims to build data systems and decision tools that bridge time and space and allow communities to be more resilient.”
The assessment will:
• Measure the burden of addiction at both the county and state levels using consistent, reliable metrics.
• Map the current landscape of prevention and treatment services, and the funding that supports them across federal, state and private sources.
• Identify current gaps in care across the full continuum of state services.
• Develop an interactive, public-facing dashboard that allows users to quickly see where needs are greatest.
• Establish a clear definition of Health Return on Investment and evaluate which services deliver the strongest outcomes.
• Share findings publicly to support coordination among state and federal partners.
• Provide WVFF with data-driven insights to guide future investments.
• Engage closely with WVFF staff and board members throughout the process.
“This is our state, and our home,” Meadows said. “We have a responsibility to approach this work with care, with humility and with a commitment to getting it right. That means listening to communities, their experiences and making sure the insights we produce serve them in a meaningful way.”
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