Social work programs at three local colleges have been awarded grants to help students address adolescent substance abuse in West Virginia.
Marshall, Concord and West Virginia State universities on Monday announced they received a $10,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The grant will fund education materials that will prepare students to screen young people for substance abuse and refer them for treatment.
West Virginia has the highest drug overdose rate in the country, according to a 2014 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey.
The grant, named after the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment curriculum, will begin at the start of spring semester's start in January and will last for 18 months.
Since its creation in 2015, the foundation has awarded more than $3.5 million for substance abuse prevention.
Curriculum provided through the grant focuses on early intervention and treatment services.