Last week, Gov. Jim Justice finally announced his five appointees to the 11-member West Virginia First Foundation board of directors, though they must still be confirmed by the state Senate. The other six members were elected by county and municipal representatives from each of six regions in July and early August.
The WV First Foundation will be in charge of distributing nearly three-quarters of the hundreds of millions of dollars in opioid settlements the state has collected. A little less than a quarter will go directly to counties and municipalities, while 3% will be held in trust for later attorneys’ fees. All remaining funds from the settlements must be “used in a manner consistent with evidence-based strategies, programming and services used to expand the availability of treatment for individuals affected by substance use disorders and addiction,” develop prevention strategies and awareness education programs, curtail the promotion and sale of drugs, decrease the supply of illicit drugs and support recovery efforts.
Among the elected members of the WV First Foundation board of directors are an American Psychiatric Association Distinguished Life Fellow (Steven Corder); a former director of the state Department of Health and Human Resources’ Office of Drug Control Policy and medical doctor (Matthew Christiansen); an emergency room physician who saw more than his fair share of overdoses (Michael “Tony” Kelly); the director of a prison-alternative for nonviolent drug offenders with previous experience in harm reduction programs (Tim Czaja); a mayor with 25 years’ experience working in a hospital (Tom Joyce); and a Mon Health executive (Jonathan Board).
Among the members recently appointed by Gov. Jim Justice are a prosecuting attorney who was formerly a defense lawyer who sometimes worked with alleged drug addicts (Matt Harvey); a lawyer-turned-philanthropist with a record of supporting social justice causes (Alys Smith); an educator and recent county superintendent (Dora Stutler); a former secretary of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security with a long law enforcement history, including investigating drug-related crimes (Jeff Sandy); and a 26-year State Trooper who became a county commissioner after his retirement from the force (Greg Duckworth).
As you can see, several have especially relevant experience; we just hope it hasn’t been so long since they last had their boots on the ground that they’ve forgotten that behind all the statistics and alleged criminal activity are individual people, each with their own journeys and challenges that brought substance abuse into their lives — and that the members who are more removed from the day-to-realities of addiction will remember the people and organizations the WV First Foundation will be helping aren’t strange, distant “others,” but their own friends and neighbors, some of whom may have been struggling silently for some time.
We had hoped to see more members on the board of directors who had explicit expertise in substance abuse disorders and mental and physical health, as well as greater experience with the related challenges of substance abuse, such as poverty, debt, homelessness, etc. (à la Czaja). But, we suppose that’s what the forthcoming expert panel will be for. Hopefully, the board will listen to the advising panel.
