Stakeholders and members of the West Virginia First Foundation met for the first time in the Truist building in Charleston, W.Va., on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. (Caity Coyne | West Virginia Watch)
A new regional addiction response project that was awarded $20 million in state funds by the West Virginia First Foundation on Monday will have some form of support from Marshall University.
Marshall’s involvement with the program was confirmed through a series of emails from West Virginia Watch to representatives of the First Foundation. It’s still not clear, however, to what extent Marshall will be participating in the Appalachian Continuum of Care for Overdose Reduction Network, or ACCORN.
The First Foundation board on Monday approved allocating the funds to ACCORN, but members gave little detail about what the project is, how it was formed or what stakeholders are involved in it during the meeting.
Questions from the media were not permitted at Monday’s meeting, which was virtual, and were instead directed to the organization’s media email.
Through multiple emails starting Monday during the meeting and going into Tuesday afternoon, representatives for the First Foundation said that ACCORN was a brand new initiative that so far didn’t have a website and was “currently being developed by local and national partners.”
West Virginia Watch asked multiple times via email for names of at least some of those partners in an effort to understand more about the project at hand and where the $20 million from the First Foundation — which all comes from state settlements with opioid companies and equates to nearly 10% of the total funds it has available to spend, according to financial statements — was being sent.
Representatives for the First Foundation responding to the questions (the emails from the Foundation were unsigned and only one referred to answers coming from Executive Director Jonathan Board) repeatedly did not answer with specifics.
“ACCORN anticipates partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders …,” an email sent Tuesday morning read. “As for the West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF), we can only speak to our involvement at this stage. However, as the application progresses, we are committed to keeping the media and the public informed with more detailed updates.”
In response, at 12:20 p.m. West Virginia Watch requested that, since it seemed the First Foundation couldn’t provide any further details on ACCORN, representatives at least give a name or organization that could be contacted to learn more about the project.
West Virginia Watch then reached out to Marshall Health at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday seeking to confirm tips from outside sources who said they believed that Marshall was involved in ACCORN. A spokesperson responded minutes later, saying they would look into the request for information. This was the only other entity contacted by West Virginia Watch regarding ACCORN.
At 2:06 p.m., representatives from the First Foundation sent an email in response to this reporter’s 12:20 p.m. request. The unsigned email read: “I spoke with Dr. O’Connell and it sounds like you are connected with someone on her team that will be able to help provide more detail. Thank you.”
Dr. Lyn O’Connell serves as the associate director for the Division of Addiction Sciences at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, according to her online biography. She is also involved with the Huntington Quick Response Team and serves on an advisory board for the city’s Compass Project, which works to promote resiliency among first responders.
West Virginia Watch, upon receiving this email from the First Foundation, notified the Foundation’s representative that their last message was being considered as confirmation that Marshall was assisting with ACCORN and if this is not true, to please offer clarification as soon as possible.
“ACCORN is a conglomeration of multiple providers and non profits in the field of recovery focused on transformative work in the hardest hit areas of West Virginia. Dr. O’Connell is an excellent person to speak with regarding the facilitation of this exciting project,” the representative sent in response.
As of 5 p.m., spokespeople for Marshall had not responded to further requests for comment in light of the information provided by the First Foundation.
More details on the funding
The money committed to ACCORN is the first official disbursement to be approved by the First Foundation and totals more than all the funds that are set to be distributed this year — $19.2 million — to local organizations through the Foundation’s 2024 grant cycle.
The $20 million for ACCORN came through the First Foundation’s “Direct Funding Model,” a policy that is outlined on the organization’s website, according to the emailed statements.
Through that model, entities seeking funding from the First Foundation can circumvent the traditional grant process.
According to information sent via email, those seeking the funds can approach their regional representative on the board about a funding opportunity. That board member reviews the proposal themselves and if they like it and can gain support from two other members — two elected and two appointed — the proposal will be formally submitted to the chair of the board. The formal submission must be made in writing through an “Opportunity Consideration” document, according to the email.
Representatives for the First Foundation denied providing a copy of the Opportunity Consideration for ACCORN, referring to it as an “internal document,” which is not subject to release.
“As a privately organized 501(C)(3) nonprofit, the West Virginia First Foundation may, at its discretion, consider and approve project funding within and without traditional requests for application,” the email from the organization read. “We encourage organizations to work closely with their local Board representatives for guidance and support during the proposal process.”
They also did not provide the name of the person or entity who approached members of the board to consider giving the funding under the Direct Funding Model.
What the $20 million will do
Specifics for how the funding to ACCORN will be utilized are also still unclear. While First Foundation board members lauded the “outcomes-based” structure of the funds — if certain outcomes aren’t achieved, like a decrease in fatal overdoses or the number of babies born with NAS in the participating counties, future funding will not be allocated — there are still no details on how ACCORN will functionally achieve its goals.
“Specific programming to achieve these objectives is still being finalized, but it will involve close collaboration with healthcare providers, community organizations, and local stakeholders,” a First Foundation representative wrote in response to an email asking for more detail. “Once finalized, the pilot counties will receive tailored, evidence-based interventions, and the rollout will be coordinated to ensure effective implementation.”
The money will go toward programming in 10 counties with the goal of expanding services in coming years if the model proves successful. In the beginning, however, efforts will be based in Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Putnam, Raleigh and Wayne counties
In addition to the financial commitment to ACCORN — which, according to a news release and statements made Monday, comes in addition to a $15 million from the federal government’s ARPA-H HEROES program — the First Foundation will conduct a statewide needs assessment survey and share all results with ACCORN as an in-kind service.
First Foundation leaders have been discussing the need for a needs assessment to identify service gaps for months. It’s anticipated that, next year, the needs assessment will help direct areas of concentration for the organization’s annual grant cycles.
According to emailed statements, that needs assessment will be “contracted and facilitated” by the First Foundation, meaning it will be paid out of the private nonprofit’s budget directly with state funds. A request for proposals for the needs assessment is “currently in progress,” according to emails. It’s estimated that the statewide assessment will be completed late next year.
The First Foundation is scheduled to hold its annual meeting at 12:45 p.m. Thursday. An agenda for that meeting — which is the first since Oct. 9 — has yet to be posted on the organization’s website.
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