West Virginia
- State Population: 1,775,156
- Local Health Departments: 48
- Frequent Public Health Emergencies: Flooding, Severe Weather, Infectious Disease Outbreak
- Key Emergency Operations Center Activations: 2020: COVID-19 Pandemic
- CDC PHEP Funding:
FY 2022: $5,229,883FY 2021: $5,255,093
FY 2020: $5,196,440 - Public Health Crisis Response Funding
COVID-19 2021 funding: $11,481,577COVID-19 2020 funding: $5,000,803
- Epidemiologists: 2
- Laboratorians: 5
- Planners: 1
- Other: 8*
*Includes IT specialists, administrative staff, statisticians, and other positions
1 Preparedness Field Assignee
- Public Health Laboratory Testing
- Community Preparedness
- Medical Countermeasure Dispensing
- Emergency Public Information and Warning
- Volunteer Management
In West Virginia, the PHEP program has trained staff in management and distribution of medical countermeasures to the public when needs arise. On October 19, 2018, a hepatitis A outbreak in West Virginia reached 1,603 confirmed cases. In response, the state used PHEP funds to manage the outbreak and provided vaccine for more than 5,000 first responders and public health volunteers who might support vaccination efforts all across the state. PHEP, through collaborative efforts, also supported staff who tracked infected residents and others who were possibly exposed and supported a social media campaign informing the public about personal hygiene, symptoms, and where to find treatment or vaccine.
On June 23, 2016, 10 inches of rain fell in West Virginia over the course of a few hours, and rivers overflowed their banks by up to 27 feet, causing the third deadliest flood in the state’s history.