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$750K given for Child Protect to assist children impacted by opioid crisis

Bluefield Daily Telegraph - 10/2/2018

Oct. 02--PRINCETON -- Child Protect of Mercer County will receive a $750,000 grant to help children who are impacted by the opioid crisis.

U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin D-W.Va., members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, made the announcement Monday.

Mercer County's grant is part of $5,583,112 for West Virginia through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) funding that will support services for children adversely impacted by the opioid crisis and its related crime, as well as for those currently struggling with addiction. It will also support the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault crimes, and improve engagement with victims.

The grant was good news for Shiloh Woodard, executive director of Child Protect of Mercer County, who said the money will be used specifically for communities impacted by the opioid crisis and for programs within those communities that provide needed services.

"We work with so many child victims," she said. "It (the funding) fills gaps that we currently have in Mercer County in helping the kids who have been impacted."

This funding will be used to provide an increased amount of available trauma-focused therapy services as well as establishing a supervised visitation center.

Woodard said some of the money will also go to the prosecuting attorney's office to help with the prosecution of cases where children have been abused or neglected and the cases include a level of associated drug abuse.

"Over 70 percent of those cases involve a drug component that could impact children," she said, adding that currently the prosecutor's office is handling more than 800 open child abuse and neglect cases, with almost 600 of those involving a drug related issue.

Besides that, she added, more than 50 percent of the 700 monthly managed supervised visitations between parents and children in the county have drug endangerment issues.

That amounts to more than 350 visitations each month in the county that have to be supervised.

"We are excited to see this initial award," she said. "We also want to leverage local and foundation dollars (for more grants)."

"As we continue to give our men and women in law enforcement the tools they need to bring drug dealers and violent criminals to justice, we must also remember the innocent victims of crime who may be affected by illegal acts," Capito said. "The opioid crisis has brought its own unique issues to West Virginia, and we have worked in Congress to support local leaders as they reach out to those struggling with addiction and their families. This funding is a step toward offering a more holistic response to this crisis and violent crime in general, and I will continue to work with my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to ensure West Virginia communities have the resources to respond to crime."

"Every corner of the Mountain State has been impacted by the opioid epidemic. Our families and communities need our support as we overcome this epidemic. I'm glad to see this significant investment in programs that do just that. On the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for these resources for West Virginians," Manchin said.

-- Contact

Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com

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(c)2018 the Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, W.Va.)

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