Capito Secures CDS Awards to Support Health Education, Treatment in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), announced four Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) awards she worked to secure from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for education and health facility upgrades, as well as youth mental health services.

These awards, which were secured through CDS requests made by Ranking Member Capito in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), will be used to renovate and build new medical treatment facilities, construct research locations, and provide funding for mental health support services.

"Having the infrastructure in place to educate doctors and effectively treat patients in our state is critical to maintain healthy communities," Ranking Member Capito said. "These CDS awards will help organizations build the facilities to prepare new generations of health practitioners and support ongoing healthcare efforts, and I am proud to have secured them following my discussions with these entities during the CDS process. As Ranking Member of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, I will continue to partner with local leaders to identify their most pressing needs and work to build out our medical and educational services."

Individual award details listed below:

• $6,000,000 HHS CDS award to the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) (Lewisburg, W.Va.) to construct and equip a research addition to the Fredric W. Smith Science Building on its Lewisburg campus which will expand its research program and attract high-caliber faculty and students. Constructing and equipping the research addition will enable WVSOM to recruit research-track and other faculty and will foster research collaborations, particularly in the areas of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.

• $1,260,000 HHS CDS award to the Mineral County Board of Health (Keyser, W.Va.) for construction and main building upgrades which will enable the department to create an annex, including a negative pressure space that will provide isolation for patients with infectious illnesses, as well as protect patients who are susceptible to infections from others in any type of epidemiological event. The renovations to the existing facility will enable the health department to provide a safer environment for the treatment of its residents.

• $600,000 HHS CDS award to Recovery Point of Huntington, Inc. (Huntington, W.Va.) to build supportive long-term recovery housing and recovery support services for people with substance use disorder. This project aims to preserve 72 long-term residential recovery beds, while adding an additional 20 in Kanawha and Wood counties.

• $200,000 HHS CDS award to Libera, Inc. (Morgantown, W.Va.) to provide mental health support programs for middle school girls. Specifically, these health programs will support girls through listening, peer support, and the connection to vital and urgent mental health resources, potentially saving lives of those who are suicidal and preventing mental health issues from progressing towards crises.

# # #