Combating substance abuse: How does the state decide where its money goes?

Every county in West Virginia receives money from the state government to combat substance abuse.

But how does the state decide where the money goes?

The task force is just one way the governor can figure out the best way to combat the problem.

Substance abuse affects people from all walks of life and is a growing problem in West Virginia. It affects families, communities and businesses, and what the governor wants to do is find out what each community's problems truly are.

The task force that met at Brooke High School on Wednesday night is just one of six that represent the 18 West Virginia counties.

The task force, made up of 60 community members, met with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources as well as the Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities to discuss how legislators could more effectively use their funding for substance abuse throughout the Panhandle.

"With this, they will be able to give advice to the governor about what is needed, and what is needed in the Panhandle isn't necessarily what is needed in the Eastern Panhandle or the southern part of the state," said Susan Perry, the deputy secretary with the WVDHHR.

The idea behind these regional meetings is to make sure that the state's resources are going to the right places.

And who better to decide where that money goes then the people that spend every day in those areas?

"We have several members of the law enforcement here. We have teachers, county commissioners. We have people from social service agencies, some of our comprehensive behavioral health providers, and we have people who are in recovery who are here to talk about their own experiences," said Perry.


The task teams make recommendations, which are then prepared in a report that is looked at by Gov. Tomblin and other legislators so that they can see what people need in their communities.

"We know that recovery programs are very cost effective, but they're not cost effective if you think that you have to put every program in every county," Perry said.

The next meeting will be on March 27 in New Martinsville. It will be held at Magnolia High School at 5:30 p.m. Members of the community are invited to come.