Mountain State Times

Charleston, WV – On July 6, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Lily’s Place in Huntington will receive $481,719 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support its critical efforts to treat and prevent Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and promote healthy families. This federal funding is one of the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests Senator Manchin secured on behalf of West Virginia through the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill.

“Every West Virginian has been impacted by the devastating drug epidemic that continues to ravage our communities, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome is an especially heartbreaking issue in this fight,” said Senator Manchin. “I’m proud to have secured this direct funding for Lily’s Place, the first Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome center in the country, to support and strengthen its vital efforts to promote healthy infants and families. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for projects that combat the drug epidemic and enhance health services for all West Virginians, no matter their age or circumstance.”

This funding will be used to support the From the Start program at Lily’s Place, which will help increase the number of babies treated, as well as enhance and increase the efforts of the organization to care for infants prenatally exposed to substances in utero and provides them with best practices and treatment specific to their needs. Lily’s Place offers additional critical services for infants and their families, including weaning from medication, case management, peer recovery support, counseling, education classes for pregnant women, follow-up clinics and children and parent groups.

The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provides an opportunity for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted funding for projects that bolster their communities and directly support West Virginians. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Manchin works to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated to priorities that benefit all West Virginians, boost economic growth and support the needs of communities across the Mountain State while remaining fiscally responsible.

Original source can be found here.