WVU Medicine Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry is named Center of Excellence, receives grant

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute has been named a Center of Excellence in Addiction and was awarded a four-year, $2.9 million grant by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR). It is the only addiction program in the state to be recognized as a Center of Excellence by the WV DHHR. 

The grant will allow the department to provide training on evidence-based approaches to addiction treatment and coaching through WV Project ECHO.

“This recognition is an outgrowth of the long relationship between our Department and the WV DHHR and the work we have done together,” Marc Haut, Ph.D., WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute vice chair and director of clinical research and education, said. “The funding provided by this grant will allow the addiction program to continue to expand its reach in order to help more individuals with substance use disorder.”

WV DHHR received funds for this grant through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) state opioid response grant. SAMHSA aims to address the opioid crisis by increasing access to medication-assisted treatment using the three FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder, reducing unmet treatment need, and reducing opioid overdose related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery activities for opioid use disorder, including prescription opioids, heroin and illicit fentanyl, and fentanyl analogs.

“There is still a lot of work to be done toward addressing addiction in our state, and there is not one solution that will solve the problem,” Dr. Haut said. “By continuing to collaborate with organizations such as the WV DHHR and recovery facilities in the state, we can make a significant impact toward change.”

For more information on the Center of Excellence, visit https://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/bmed/coe/.

For more information on the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI. 

About the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute
We are improving lives by pioneering advances in brain health. With the latest technologies, an ecosystem of partners, and an integrated approach, we are making tangible progress. Our goal is to combat public health challenges ranging from COVID-19 to addiction to Alzheimer’s, benefiting people in West Virginia and beyond. Learn more about the RNI’s innovative clinical trials and the top caliber experts joining us in our mission. For more information, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.