Secretary Bill J.

Crouch, WV Department of Health and Human Resources

Commissioner & West Virginia State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad
Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin
Charleston Police Chief Tyke Hunt

November 16, 2020

Dear State and Local Government Officials,

Charleston is in crisis. We are losing a generation to the overdose epidemic. HIV and Hepatitis
outbreaks plague our region. And the COVID-19 pandemic has been cruelest to those among us
who were already carrying the heaviest burdens. We cannot afford to waste any opportunity to
fight these challenges head on.

We believe we have a responsibility to call on the Charleston Police Chief and Mayor Goodwin
to authorize SOAR’s harm reduction program as soon as possible as we wait on certification
from the state.

Our friends and neighbors are dying, and our health care infrastructure cannot bear the burden
alone. While overdose deaths have begun to decline nationwide, and in parts of West Virginia,
we have not been so lucky in Kanawha county. Furthermore, just a couple of years ago Kanawha
County would suffer an average of 2 HIV+ cases connected to drug use each year. Kanawha
County alone has suffered more than 20 of these cases in the first 9 months of 2020. And the
pandemic makes everything harder. Our hospitals and staff are stretched like never before, but
that pales in comparison to what our most vulnerable patients face. It’s no wonder that rates of
substance use disorder, overdose deaths, and other maladies are climbing across West Virginia.

SOAR is an important part of the solution, and we need them back at full force. Much has been
made of their syringe exchange program, which was built alongside medical professionals and
closely follows the best practices in the field. There’s no question that the HIV and hepatitis
outbreaks would be worse without their efforts. But that’s only the beginning. Through rigorous
data collection, SOAR volunteers have been able to document 628 lives saved by their
unprecedented naloxone distribution program (which is also responsible for training more than a
thousand local businesses, churches, and community members to administer the life-saving
drug). Perhaps most important, SOAR is a valuable connector. People who access SOAR’s
services also get access to HIV testing, on-site medical advice and referrals, food, menstrual
products, access to recovery services, and more.
Since the 1920’s, every effort to save the lives of people with substance use disorder has been
demonized and slandered. But that doesn’t change the science. This latest controversy is costing
lives, and the city has the power to end it.

Every day the investigation continues without resolution, fewer of our citizens will have access
to naloxone. More will rely on used syringes out of necessity. The 2015 City Ordinance created
unnecessary uncertainty. Local news outlets believe it proves SOAR’s actions are illegal.
Medical and legal experts believe the same ordinance offers “sound legal footing” for SOAR’s
vital activities. One thing everyone agrees on: the ordinance gives both Chief Hunt and State
Government the power to authorize the program, save lives, and ease the burden borne by the
medical profession and the community at large. We urge the Chief, and state DHHR to step
forward and formally authorize this important program as Kanawha County and Charleston also
serve as a model for the rest of the state.

We are doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, aides, psychologists, social workers,
counselors, recovery coaches, advocates, and researchers. We come from every corner of the
healthcare field. We are also people in recovery and people who have lost friends and family
members to substance use disorder We are also parents, homeowners, little league coaches, PTA
members, small business owners, and voters. Needs-based harm reduction programs like SOAR
make us all safer. They reduce the spread of communicable diseases (by as much or more than
50%). They make needle litter less common and less dangerous, by providing access to safe
disposal. And they make it much more likely that people who inject drugs get connected to us in
the health field - to access testing, recovery programs, and other public health benefits.

We need SOAR’s help, and we need your continued leadership. This administration has made
real strides over the last two years -- offering innovation and energy to this fight. Authorizing
SOAR’s program would add to that legacy. It will also help us do what we do best: care for our
patients. We stand ready to work with you in the years to come, fighting like our lives depend on
it. Because they do.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robin A. Pollini, PhD, MPH Dr. Gordon Smith, MD, MPH
Dr. Norman J. Montalto, MD Dr. Judith Feinberg, MD
Dr. Ron Stollings, MD Emily Birckhead, MSW
Dr. Christine Teague, PharmD, MPH, Laura Jones, MSW
AAHIVP Lois Vance, NCACC, PRSS
Dr. Charles P. Schade, MD, MPH Dr. Nancy Taylor, RN, PhD, ALPS
Susie Mullens, LPC, Licensed Psychologist, Dr. George Moses, LPC, EdD, MDiv
MAC, AADC Katherine Laishley, LGSW
Lauren Haye, MSW, LSW
JoAnna Vance, PRSS
Emily Baldwin, BSN, RN
Sydney Upton, LGSW
Dr. Cathy Yura, EdD
Denise Hanson, RN
Thomas Drvar, LICSW
Dani Ludwig, PRSS
Kathryn Kay, RPh
Dr. Charles Babcock, PharmD
Dr. Steve Davis, PhD, MSW, MPA
Dr. Melanie Fisher, MD, MSc
Dr. Thomas Watkins, DO
Bernard Slater Jr., AAS, PRSS
Dr. Danielle Davidov, PhD
Dr. Kara Willenburg, MD
Dr. Josephine Reece, MD
Danielle Maness, MSN, APRN, CNM,
WHNP-BC
Dr. Ashley Zawodniak, DO
Christy Hoke, Ev
Dr. Erin Winstanley, PhD
Dr. Toni Rudisill, PhD
Frankie Tack, MS, AADC, CCS
Stephanie Blankenship, RN, BSN
Aila Accad, MSN
Kenneth Matthews, RCP
David Sanders, PRSS
Cliff Massey, PRSS
Karen Dominick, PRSS
Adam Foster, PRSS
Jordan Dennison, PRSS
Terri Gogus, MSW, LGSW
Kimberly West, PRSS
Brandon Whitehouse, PRSS
Jennifer Paugh, MSW, LICSW
Amanda Boothe, AA, BA
Brooke Parker, MSW
Patricia Rogers, BS, LMT, CSTD
Angelita Nixon, CNM, MSN
Travis M. Stone, PRSS
Dr. Daniel Doyle, MD
Josh McIntyre, PharmD Student
Melissa Lazear, MSW, LGSW
Rachel Lambert, PRSS
Abby Coulter, PRSS
Dr. Bob Foster, DO
Dr. Grace Falbo, DO
Dr. Christopher Hill, MD
Robbin Durham, MSW, LICSW, BCD
Celia Laverty, BA
Tonya Vannatter, MSW, LGSW
Mary Hoke, MSW, LCSW
Dr. Joanna Bailey, MD
Dr. Karen Fitzpatrick, MD
Dr. Ilene Blacksberg, MD
Jennifer Forman, MSW Student
Lynn Moses Yellott, MS
Linda Stein, MSW
Dr. Kimberly Becher, MD
Rocky Ephraim Lucas, MSW, QCSW,
LICSW
Dr. Chesley Yellott, MD
Samuel Hickman, MSW, LCSW, ACSW
Dr. Cara Sedney, MD, MA
Debra Beatty, MSW, LICSW, ACSW
Patricia Dekeseredy, MScN, RN
Ashley Lewis, MA, PRSS
Bailey Hendricks, NCRC
Olivia Dale Pape, MPH
Dr. Rachel Moreland, DO
Dr. Colleen Lillard, PhD
Dr. Jeremy D Hustead, MD
Dr. Henry Brownstein, PhD
Dr. Dilip Chandran, MD
Heather Whittington, MSN, FNP-BC
Vien Cheung, MA
Dr. Dan Farmer, DO
Dr. Liv E Miller, Psy.D., ABPP-CN
Dr. Allen Cheng, MD
Kellie Price, LSW
Sarah Shapero, MSW, LCSW
Michael A Stewart ASN, SCRN
Dr. Nathan Lerfald, MD
Michelle Popoca, RN
Dr. Cara Sedney MD, MA
Dr. Brian Dilcher, MD
Ashley Copen, LGSW, MSW
Rebecca Tomblin, PRSS
Laura Lander, MSW, AADC
Dr. Rebecca Reese, MD
Dr. Mary Gainer, MD
Susan Morgan, RN
Heather Wood, MSN, APRN