WHAT
WE DO
Learn more about WVDII's approach to reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in West Virginia.
PROGRAMS & PROJECTS.
The mission of the Drug Intervention Institute is to reduce opioid and drug-related deaths by (a) preventing substance use through education (b) reducing overdose through training and distribution related to naloxone and other opioid reversal agents, and, (c) supporting harm reduction and other drug-response efforts.
​
To fulfill its mission, WV DII is carrying out activities under three objectives – education, collaboration, and prevention.
Educate
We educate over 4,000 youth and 40,000 households each year about the importance of medication safety through our Don’t Keep Rx Around™ Medication Safety and Generation Rx Programs delivered in partnership with the University of Charleston and Murphy Media, Inc. These programs are interactive and school-based, but are also available to parents, foster parents, grandparents, and educators online. Our public service announcements are available to all primary and secondary schools, college campuses, and health facilities in West Virginia. Through our partnership with Murphy Media, Inc. our PSA for college students received one of West Virginia’s (only) two Gold Telly Awards in 2020.
Collaborate
We work closely with agencies, organizations, and individuals throughout the greater Charleston area who are involved in drug abuse response and prevention. In addition to our partnerships with service providers and schools, we have forged a strong partnership with the City of Charleston. By working hand-in-hand with the Mayor’s Office of CARE (Coordinated Addiction Response Initiative), we are able to maximize the effectiveness of substance use intervention efforts, like the Quick Response Team (or QRT) throughout Charleston and the Kanawha Valley.
Prevent
We support and implement partnerships and programs designed to prevent overdose-related deaths and increase assess to prevention programming and treatment services. We are members of the state-wide planning team for West Virginia first Prevention Strategic Plan organized by the WV Department of Health and Human Resources. Through a partnership with the WV Department of Corrections and the University of Charleston, we assist with education and support for long-acting reversible birth control for female inmates as a way to curb rates of neo-natal abstinence syndrome due to maternal drug use. In addition, we work directly with the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy to increase access and distribution of Naloxone throughout the State.