MORGANTOWN – Sen. Shelley Moore Capito came to WVU Monday, along with Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
They visited WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) with Director Dr. Ali Rezai to learn about RNI’s innovative work on addiction. Volkow delivered a presentation on the national opioid crisis with a focus on fentanyl.
Capito talked with The Dominion Post about the visit and Volkow’s presentation later Monday, as she was on her way to the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure bill after flying back to D.C. Media was not permitted at the visit.
“Her takeaway was to be bold, come up with bold solutions, and I think at RNI that’s what they’re known for: flexibility and quickness and also the relatability to rural America, was something she was focusing on as well.
Capito has her own concerns about “the alarming rise of fentanyl and fentanyl related deaths,” she said. One is the challenges methamphetamines and fentanyl pose in terms of medical and addiction treatment.
Another is tied to her role as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee overseeing funding for Homeland Security, she said. “A lot of this stuff is getting through our southern border. You can see that it’s ruining lives everywhere.”
Volkow came ot WVU at Capito’s invitation and will spend two days there learning about RNI’s research. A release following Captio’s visit notes that Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate how substance use affects brain functions. In particular, her studies have documented that changes in the dopamine system affect the functions of frontal brain regions involved with reward and self-control in addiction.
Capito said Volkow talked about the rise of telehealth through the pandemic and that telehealth has promise for addiction treatment. That’s important, Capito said, as we consider the importance of funding for broadband expansion.
Volkow also discussed how the social stigma of addiction holds some people back from seeking treatment, Capito said.
Capito talked privately with Volkow, she said, about federal reimbursement challenges, that great interventions are being tried but the providers can’t get reimbursed for the treatment.
Capito said West Virginia is at the top of some of the statistics. “So I think we ought to be at the top of the solutions. I think we’ve worked hard to do that and we need to continue to do it.”
She’s proud of WVU and the NRI team, she said. “I don’t think this is the end of the conversations. There’s a plethora of activities at a lot of different levels. … We just need to do it and hopefully find success.”
Capito provided some statistics: In 2020, West Virginia recorded 1,296 drug overdose deaths, with 85% of these determined to be opioid-related. This is a 45% increase in fatal overdoses from 2019-20. Fentanyl was involved in three-fourths of these overdose deaths, with methamphetamine playing a role in nearly half of all overdose deaths last year.
Rezai commented in the press release, “It is an honor to host Dr. Volkow, the NIDA team, and Sen. Capito at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute to share the progress that we are making in addiction research and treatment. … The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute is using innovative technology to advance the science and treatment of addiction. Thanks to ongoing support from NIDA, our faculty and staff are committed to improving the lives of those who live in West Virginia and beyond.”
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