A bear in the mist with the words "Deconstructing Silos" on it

Community Education Group Issues New Report Warning of Addiction/Hepatitis/HIV “Syndemic” in West Virginia

A bear in the mist with the words "Deconstructing Silos" on it

For Immediate Release

Community Education Group Issues New Report Warning of Addiction/Hepatitis/HIV “Syndemic” in West Virginia

LOST RIVER, W.Va. (May 3, 2021) – A new report issued by the Community Education Group (CEG) details what the organization calls a “syndemic” of Substance Use Disorder, Viral Hepatitis, and HIV that constitutes a grave and ongoing threat to public health in West Virginia.

The report, entitled Deconstructing Silos in West Virginia: Breaking Down Barriers Between HIV, Substance Use Disorder, and Viral Hepatitis Care, describes how misguided policies and gaps in infrastructure are leaving multiple West Virginia counties vulnerable to outbreaks of Hepatitis and HIV, largely driven by the state’s opioid addiction crisis. West Virginia leads the nation in Viral Hepatitis diagnoses, and new HIV diagnoses have been increasing since 2017. The document lays out steps for reversing these trends, such as improving access to testing and treatment, and making sure infected and at-risk patients are referred to the appropriate care and services.

A. Toni Young, CEG’s executive director, emphasized the importance of addressing the linked HIV, Hepatitis, and Substance Use crises together, in a coordinated way.

“Treating these problems as separate epidemics has only inhibited accurate data collection and made effective prevention efforts more difficult,” said Young. “These are linked crises, and here in West Virginia they are turning into a kind of perfect storm that our health infrastructure is currently just not equipped to deal with.”

The new report from CEG, a nonprofit with decades of experience strategizing public health interventions in vulnerable communities, calls for improving public access to testing, treatment, and health information. Other recommendations include beefing up public health staff and infrastructure, and expanding availability of Opioid Treatment and Harm Reduction programs—interventions that have been shown to help decrease HIV and Hepatitis infection rates, but which have been hampered by political opposition that ignores their effectiveness.

The full Deconstructing Silos report can be accessed here: https://cutt.ly/CEG-Deconstructing-Silos-Report

The Community Education Group (CEG) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization working to ignite community engagement, eliminate disparities in health outcomes, and improve public health in vulnerable populations and underserved communities. CEG accomplishes this by conducting research, training community health workers to educate and test people who are hard to reach or at risk, sharing expertise through national networks and local capacity building efforts, and advocating for practical and effective health policies that lead to social change. 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Community Education Group
A. Toni Young
tyoung@communityeducationgroup.org
(304) 278-4420

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Learn more about ECHO VA and Deirdre Speaks by clicking the links below.

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Veklury 101 Training

Veklury 101 Training Flier

Training Level: Provider

Thursday, March 18th, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern

VEKLURY® (remdesivir) is the first and only antiviral approved for the treatment of patients requiring hospitalization for COVID-19. Join us to find out more information on when and why this drug should be used for COVID-19 treatment.



Register today: https://cutt.ly/Veklury-0321


Presenters:


Grayce Kim, Pharm.D.
Principal Medical Scientist
COVID-19
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Not Throwing Away Our Shot COVID-19 Vaccine training

In Case You Missed It: When it comes to COVID vaccines, we all have unanswered questions. On Thursday, February 25th, 2021, Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta, a side effect scientist at the University of North Carolina, provided plain language interpretations of the approval process and what to expect from vaccine side effects. Through Dr. Dasgupta’s view of vaccine hesitancy as a rational reaction to mistreatment by and suspicion of medical systems, he was able to return a sense of control back into vaccine decisions through respect for choice and autonomy.

If you missed the training event, we now have a recording available from this important conversation around COVID vaccines. Please note that this video is based on our current knowledge of COVID: parts of this video may no longer be relevant as we learn more about this virus and its long-term effects as well as the long-term effects of the COVID vaccines.

Links provided during the conversation:
– Find a vaccine near you: CDC Vaccine Locator
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Reminder: If you have not yet taken our Rural Health Needs Survey, we invite you to take it here. This survey will be open through April 2021.

The Evolution of HIV Treatment

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Training Level: Community & Organizational

Thursday, March 4th, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern

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Trina Scott
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Not Throwing Away Our Shot COVID-19 Vaccine training

COVID-19 Training: Not Throwing Away Our Shot

Not Throwing Away Our Shot COVID-19 Vaccine training

Training Level: Community & Organizational

Thursday, February 25th, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern

When it comes to COVID vaccines, we all have unanswered questions.
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Presenter:

Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta

Nabarun Dasgupta, PhD, MPH
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Register today: https://cutt.ly/COVID-Feb2021