It’s about giving families peace of mind, emphasized Dr. Michael McCawley and Dr. Catherine Feaga, speaking about the WVU School of Public Health research project to study the potential exposure and near-term health effects of heavy metals in children in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Read the Full Story >>
Public Health
Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program
The Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program is designed to assist West Virginia renters at risk of eviction or homelessness due to COVID-19. Read the Full Story >>
The Pandemic is Here & Now
Dr. Terrence Reidy shares thoughts and observations about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as his advice for reducing risk while the vaccine rollout begins. Read the Full Story >>
Organizing Allies in WV
With the COVID-19 pandemic dominating the news, it’s easy for other public health issues to drop out of sight. Shepherdstown-based Community Education Group (CEG) is pointedly focused on West Virginia’s ongoing substance-use disorder epidemic. Read the Full Story >>
Running the COVID Marathon
Health experts around the globe have been warning of the risk of a pandemic like COVID-19 for years — and they tell us that we can expect similar viruses to break out in the future. Dr. Mark Cucuzzella suggests that our current approach has focused on hiding from this virus and he makes the case that it’s just as important to strengthen our resistance to COVID-19 and future viruses — in other words, healthier lifestyles for healthier immune systems. Read the Full Story >>
WVU Medicine Opens in Shepherdstown
Even before COVID-19, WVU Medicine in the Eastern Panhandle was making big changes. At the start of 2020 the region’s largest healthcare system was adding robotic surgery capability to its Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg and starting construction of a new medical office building on newly-acquired land in Shepherdstown... Read the Full Story >>
Outdoor Fun Around the Eastern Panhandle
Here in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, we are blessed with an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities. When The Observer asked, we jumped at the chance to spotlight a few of our favorite activities for the fall. Read the Full Story >>
It’s OK to Ask for Help
The Brian O’Neill Jr Foundation has a simple mission: to empower individuals and their families to help prevent suicide in youth and young adults. For Lee O’Neill, the president of the foundation, this mission is personal. Read the Full Story >>
Pandemic in the Panhandle
Reidy observes that there is sometimes almost too much news coverage. “Every little new suggestion gets equal weight because it’s new — every drug that might work or something that might work. With new treatments, it takes time to find out what really does work — things like antibody testing and how long people are immune. It’s hard because we want answers now. Read the Full Story >>
From This Point Forward
My name is Josh. I’m 39. I’ve been sober just about nine months. I live in Chicago. I know the editor of this paper, Mike, and he encouraged me to write this—for various reasons, many of which you probably already know. Mainly because, apparently, this publication works hard to help addicts and their loved ones Read the Full Story >>
CEG Receives $500K Grant to Bolster HIV Fight in West Virginia
A new $500,000 grant will support CEG’s efforts to improve HIV prevention, testing, screening, and treatment in the state. Read the Full Story >>
Understanding the Connection Between Loneliness and Addiction
I couldn’t move. I had reached the point where I could no longer continue living a life marred in addiction. It wasn’t simply a matter of being sick and tired of being sick and tired—I was, in a tangible way, killing myself. I laid on the floor of my wretched trailer apartment under a blanket, Read the Full Story >>
WVU Medicine Lands Facility in Shepherdstown
WVU Medicine plans to build a 10,700-square-foot medical office building (MOB) located on Route 45 west of downtown Shepherdstown near Sheetz, which will house two physician’s office suites—one for primary care and one for specialists. Read the Full Story >>
Addiction and Emotional Trauma in Childhood
The dynamic between my father and me was distant and unpalatable on so many levels—not the least of which was our contrasting physical statures. He was over 350 pounds for as long as I remember and I, having topped out in adulthood at 5’ 6” and 130 pounds, was always minuscule in his presence. Instead Read the Full Story >>
Observer Contributor Co-Develops Memorial Site for Opioid Victims
If you or someone you love has lost someone to the opioid crisis, then it’s worth your while to check out "All Our Hearts"—an online memorial project developed in part by Observer contributor and Jefferson County native Lena Camilletti. Read the Full Story >>
