Erin Beck

2 weeks ago | mountainstatespotlight.org | Erin Beck

When Debbie Elkins’ husband Chuck began to show symptoms of impairment, even as a nurse, she couldn’t find words to describe the changes — let alone “dementia” or “neurodegenerative disorder.”It took more than five years and multiple visits to medical specialists to get an accurate diagnosis: frontotemporal degeneration dementia. To care for him, Elkins, of Putnam County, quit her job. “I’m sometimes so exhausted, I feel like I’m cognitively impaired,” she said.

3 weeks ago | mountainstatespotlight.org | Erin Beck

Rebecca Powers, of Lost Creek in Harrison County, was born into addiction. Now, she works as a cashier and clerk and uses Medicaid to pay for the mental health medication and addiction treatment she needs to live a stable life, visiting her kids and taking care of herself.  She says without it, it’s likely she will lose her job, lose her home, lose visits with her kids and experience a mental health crisis. “To be honest, that scares me to death,” she said.

3 weeks ago | timeswv.com | Erin Beck

This story originally appeared in the Statehouse Spotlight newsletter published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get coverage of the legislative session delivered to your email inbox Monday – Thursday; sign up for the free newsletter at mountainstatespotlight.org/newsletterCHARLESTON — In the years since she started raising two grandchildren, Diana Sigmon has needed help caring for kids who have experienced some hard knocks.

4 weeks ago | mountainstatespotlight.org | Erin Beck

In the years since she started raising two grandchildren, Diana Sigmon has needed help caring for kids who have experienced some hard knocks. Her grandkids, now entering their teens, have attended A Place to Grow child care center for years. One of them is still enrolled in the center’s after-school and summer programs. “I know I can make a phone call and any of those ladies will step up and help me,” Sigmon said.

1 month ago | mountainstatespotlight.org | Erin Beck

Caitlin Sussman grew disillusioned after years of failed attempts to help lawmakers understand what people working in the recovery field needed to save lives. She ultimately left her job at Milan Puskar Health Right in Morgantown. For seven years, she helped prevent the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis C by providing people who inject drugs with clean syringes. In 2021, lawmakers placed requirements on those programs that either shut them down or reduced the number of participants.