BY FAITH ABDULLAH
For the Dominion Post
West Virginia opioid deaths are currently facing a decline, according to recent reports. Such a decline could be a result of prevention efforts by numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Substance Safety Project.
The Substance Safety Project was founded by Morgantown High School student Pavan Subramani, who created the nonprofit to create preventative awareness of the effects of substance abuse, specifically of opioids, in West Virginia.
“The Substance Safety Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that I founded, and our focus is on reducing substance misuse throughout the community and throughout West Virginia,” Subramani said. “So really our primary focus is on prevention and preventative work, which we do by increasing awareness and by educating.”
In the United States, West Virginia reportedly has the highest opioid overdose death rate, which is targeted by the Substance Safety Project’s efforts through prevention education.
“So we hold workshops for elementary and middle school-age students on avoiding peer pressure and substance misuse,” Subramani said. “For a more direct prevention outcome, we distribute drug disposal pouches and packets.”
The Substance Safety Project distributes drug-free pledge packets as part of its prevention efforts.
Subramani, who also works with other organizations with the same goal of preventing more opioid deaths in West Virginia, hopes that the death toll will be reduced significantly to ensure a more stable West Virginia in the years to come.
“We primarily collaborate with hospice centers and things like that to distribute the pouches and packets,” Subramani said. “Hopefully, over the next three to five years, we will see a noticeable decline in opioid overdose death rates as well as opioid use rates. Also, educating young people, because they are the ones who eventually grow into people who could use substances.”
