CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped in two West Virginia cities Monday as part of an effort to better understand the response to the state’s opioid epidemic.
Dr. Robert Redfield began Monday in Huntington by taking part in a regional health summit at Cabell Huntington Hospital before touring Lily’s Place, a facility that provides treatment for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Redfield spent the afternoon touring West Virginia HealthRight in Charleston with state health officials as well as local legislative leaders, where he was able to understand care for individuals with opioid addictions.
“Clearly, this area has seen and experienced the opioid epidemic in the flesh. When you talk about one of the epicenters of the opioid epidemic in the United States, people would mention this area,” he said. “I think that experience has really galvanized the community here to come together in a thoughtful way to try to develop an approach to make an impact on this epidemic.”
According to the CDC, West Virginia has the highest drug overdose mortality rate in the country with 52 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016.
But Redfield is hopeful about the state’s progress. He said community efforts are leading to developing integrated approaches to address the issue, and science and further research will provide the necessary tools for providing treatment.
“There’s going to be a lot of significant progress made in the community towards beginning to turn this opioid epidemic around,” he said.
Dr. Angie Settle, CEO of West Virginia HealthRight, said it was encouraging to hear Redfield’s comments.
“It’s a horrific battle we’re fighting, but I think we’re making great strides in the right direction,” she said. “It was a learning for him to hear what we’re seeing, hear what’s coming down from D.C.”
Redfield said the CDC can take a lot from the visit, include how health care organizations operate to confront the opioid epidemic and addiction in general.
“It’s going to be a long battle. It’s a complicated problem,” he said. “Many years ago, 40 years ago, when I started in the AIDS epidemic in 1981, we looked at that as a hopeless battle. Today, it’s a treatable disease. You can live a natural lifetime.”