Knowledge Advisory Group Presents Augusta County SAW Needs Assessment

VERONA, Va. (WHSV) – The Augusta County Board of Supervisors met Oct. 21 for a staff meeting.

In December 2023, the City of Waynesboro hired Knowledge Advisory Group and the Carter Foundation to conduct a needs assessment of Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro. In this briefing, two representatives from the Knowledge Advisory Group presented the conclusions of this assessment.

There were several important findings that were highlighted in this review. An important finding was that Staunton and Waynesboro are classified by the Virginia Department of Health as having a high need for drug prevention and treatment support. There was evidence to suggest that one of the drugs misused was opioids.

The second main finding showed that relatively weak economic conditions in the SAW region may contribute to opioid misuse. The median income in the SAW region is lower than the median income in Virginia. Augusta County’s median income was $77,485. The median income in Staunton is $61,917. The median income in Waynesboro is $58,527. Overall, Virginia’s median income is $86,838.

The SAW region has fewer mental health and primary care providers, which can make it more difficult for people suffering from substance abuse disorders to get help.

Stakeholders recommended more programs for children whose parents misuse opioids. The evaluation showed that the most common barriers to treatment are the lack of available resources, lack of knowledge of the services that exist in the region and transportation.

The sixth finding showed that community stakeholders and opioid misuse prevention programs are somewhat available in the SAW region. In one survey, 49% said opioid abuse prevention programs were somewhat available, with 3% saying they were very available.

After listing the main conclusions, the evaluation presented a list of recommendations. One recommendation was to expand the number of substance use disorder providers. another recommendation was to expand opioid misuse recovery support services and expand education about opioid misuse as well as prevention.

A link to the full report can be found here.

Copyright 2024 WHSV. All rights reserved.