It was the best of states, it was the worst of states.
Every state’s headlines are filled with peaks and valleys daily. But West Virginia’s almost unfailingly range from the highest highs to the lowest lows.
Last week, the state tourism office announced a new advertising campaign that finally uses John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
The campaign’s slogan is “Almost Heaven,” and plans are to spend
$3 million targeting out-of-state markets’ residents to pay us a visit.
“We want to change the way people think about West Virginia,” the state’s tourism commissioner said.
We don’t need anyone to convince us of our state’s blessings or the kindly nature of most people here.
But it’s almost as if every time we put our best foot forward, we stumble over a reality that fills our hearts with dread.
On the same day the ad campaign began, the Department of Health and Human Resources announced that our rate of babies born drug dependent jumped dramatically.
In two counties — Marshall and Lincoln — the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) exceeded one out of 10 hospital births. Statewide, the DHHR said, the rate of NAS is 50.6 for every 1,000 live births.
The rate of newborns facing the hell of drug withdrawal exceeded
60 per 1,000 live births in 15 of
28 reporting counties.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of babies born dependent on drugs was 33.4 per 1,000 births in 2013. The national average then was 5.8.
That was the nation’s highest rate then, and we suspect West Virginia still has that devastating distinction.
It’s common knowledge too that West Virginia also has had the nation’s highest drug overdose death rate for years.
The DHHR secretary noted Wednesday that the state’s opioid epidemic has caused a child welfare crisis. Some figures he relayed included a 46 percent increase in the number of children removed from custody in recent years, while
84 percent of all child protective service cases involve drug use.
It’s undeniable this drug crisis has caused some pain and suffering for countless families and individuals.
But it’s also apparent that children are suffering more than any segment of our population.
Those NAS numbers above put this catastrophe on a human scale that leaves us morose.
True, there is some positive news on this front, including better training to recognize NAS, creation of drug recovery centers for infants and approval of Medicaid coverage to treat drug-dependent babies.
Yet, we cannot help but ask: How can such a tragedy be happening in almost heaven?
Morgantown Area News
'Friday, April 19, 2024'
