Charleston Leader

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito hosted a summit in Dunbar, West Virginia, to address the ongoing drug epidemic in the state. As Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), Capito gathered state and community leaders to focus on three key areas: research and prevention, recovery, and law enforcement.

"The scourge of drugs, specifically deadly opioids like fentanyl, has affected far too many West Virginians and their loved ones in our state," Capito stated. She emphasized that the summit brought together "some of our brightest minds and strongest leaders" to devise strategies for prevention, treatment, and keeping drugs out of communities.

Capito highlighted past efforts since joining the U.S. Senate to combat drug issues in West Virginia. Her initiatives began with a Drug Prevention Summit in Martinsburg back in April 2015. The current summit serves as a continuation of these efforts.

In her leadership role on the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Capito has contributed to legislation supporting communities severely impacted by opioid addiction. In 2018, she played a role in passing the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act aimed at strengthening responses to the crisis.

Recent data from the West Virginia Department of Human Services suggests a potential decline in overdose deaths partly due to Capito's initiatives. She announced that over $45 million was allocated from SAMHSA’s State Opioid Response grant program to aid local communities—a result of provisions she authored ensuring significant funding for states heavily affected by opioid mortality rates.

Since 2018, more than $200 million has been secured for West Virginia through these efforts.