MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Morgantown City Council members plan to meet with Monongalia County legislators in December to discuss bills they want passed in the 2017 session.
At a recent collaborative meeting about the prevention and treatment of alcohol related injuries, Mayor Marti Shamberger said she learned police support legislation that would allow law enforcement inside establishments that sell alcohol where the Alcohol Beverage Control Administration has jurisdiction to enforce alcohol related regulations.
“That is one of the bills that we hope to bring forward as a city that we support so that police are allowed to walk through bars if they see something before people get out on the street or behind the wheel. This is legislation we hope to push with our delegates here.”
Leaders from city and county government, Monongalia County Schools and the business community have joined forces under the umbrella of The WVU Greater Morgantown Safe Communities Initiative.
Dan Shook is the executive director of the initiative.
He hosted a meeting to help in the development of strategies to address high risk alcohol consumption and use.
“There are bus loads of students, gangs of people from other states, who come to Morgantown or come to West Virginia because our bars stay open later. The laws are such that it really invites what we see here.”
According to Shook, Monongalia County leads the state in excessive and binge drinking.
“That leads to one of the highest rates in DUIs in the state of West Virginia. I think the state average for binge drinking is almost 10% of the population. In Monongalia County it’s almost 20.”
A trauma surgeon was part of Shook’s Monday presentation and discussion.
“It’s like 90% of the people, trauma injuries, that come in through emergency room are alcohol related,” said Shamberger. “For me, it was a real eye opener on how prevalent this is.”
Part of the WVU Greater Morgantown Safe Communities Initiative mission is to raise awareness of the problem and collectively offer solutions.
“When there are people or residents out there that do have an abuse problem, there’s help there. The university has a collegiate recovery program. There is hope for people who are in this situation,” Shook advised.
Meanwhile, safe communities contributors are sharing a statewide resource for residents who have substance abuse issues.
Agents manning 1-844-HELP4WV can guide addicts to some of the 1,000 resources available for assistance.