[October 23, 2024 – Huntington, WV] The state of West Virginia ranks at or near the bottom of most health ranking categories with the highest (by far) drug overdose death rate and the second highest rate of all-cause mortality in the nation. Despite these alarming figures, West Virginia is also one of the states with the fewest clinical trials – an essential tool for the advancement of medical knowledge and the improvement of patient outcomes.
To address health disparities and provide research involvement opportunities for individuals who reside in underrepresented communities, Valley Health has joined the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s recently funded West Virginia Rural Roots to Research (WVR3) program. WVR3 was funded as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Communities Advancing Research Equity for Health™ (CARE for Health™) initiative, a new research network that will conduct clinical studies in primary care settings. A major goal of the CARE for Health™ initiative is to learn what is needed to make clinical trials feasible in primary care practices and to support clinical trials designed with community input. These community-informed trials will ultimately combat the trend of declining health that occurs in medically underserved and disadvantaged populations.
“The sad reality is that individuals in states like West Virginia have been historically underrepresented in new and innovative clinical research that has the opportunity to directly improve health outcomes,” said Sally Hodder, WVCTSI director, associate vice president for clinical and translational science at West Virginia University and WVR3 principal investigator. “But we are looking to change that through partnerships with the West Virginia Practice-Based Research Network (WVPBRN) and CARE for Health™.”
“At Valley Health, we are proud to join the West Virginia Rural Roots to Research program as part of our commitment to enhancing healthcare access and equity in our communities. By bringing innovative clinical trials to our region, we aim to ensure that our patients have the opportunity to participate in important clinical trials and to ultimately benefit from advancements in medical knowledge tailored to their unique needs. Together, we can make meaningful strides toward improving health outcomes for all West Virginians .” said Mathew Weimer, President and CEO of Valley Health Systems.
Valley Health is one of four health systems that will initially conduct CARE for Health™ clinical studies at the following sites: Cabin Creek Health Systems – Dawes, Minnie Hamilton Health System – Glenville, Tug River Health Association – Gary, and Valley Health Systems – Apple Grove, Milton, and Stepptown sites.
“As the initial focus of CARE for Health™ is to bring clinical studies to rural areas, these selected sites were both enthusiastic about the initiative and care for rural populations,” Hodder said. “However, in the future, we are hoping to expand participation to other WVPBRN sites and work with West Virginia communities to design and conduct clinical trials.”
“We know that the best way to ensure research findings are relevant to communities, is by making sure that these populations are accurately represented. Results from a study conducted in New York City may not yield effective results for our rural patients. That’s why increasing our state’s access to these innovative trials is so important,” said Hodder.
WVCTSI Background
WVCTSI is funded by an IDeA Clinical and Translational Research award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U54GM104942) to support the mission of building clinical and translational research infrastructure and capacity to impact health disparities in West Virginia.
WVR3 is funded by a National Institutes of Health Communities Advancing Research Equity for Health™ (CARE for Health™) award (OT2OD038378).
