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, the National Institutes of Health Communities Advancing Research Equity for Health™ (CARE for Health™) was developed as a new research network that will conduct clinical studies in primary care settings.
The West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute was named as one of three hubs nationally that will launch this exciting initiative. West Virginia Rural Roots to Research (WVR3), will work initially with six sites from the West Virginia Practice-Based Research Network (WVPBRN), a 131-site statewide organization of primary care practices who are interested in developing research to enhance their clinical impact.
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 the health outcomes,” Dr. Sally Hodder, WVCTSI director, associate vice president for clinical and translational science and WVR3 principal investigator, said. “But we are looking to change that through partnerships with the West Virginia Practice-Based Research Network and CARE for Health™."
“We eagerly anticipate collaborating with our local partners – primary care providers and patient communities – to tackle the health challenges they identify as most pressing,” NIH Director Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli said. “These awards will lay the groundwork for primary care-focused clinical research, creating opportunities for people to engage in research that matters to them right where they receive their care.”
The six WVPBRN sites that will initially conduct CARE for Health™ clinical studies are: 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.”
“WVCTSI has been an incredible catalyst for clinical trials research in the state,” Dr. Clay Marsh, chancellor and executive dean for WVU Health Sciences, said. “With the addition of the WVR3 program supported by the NIH, they will now have the ability to make an even greater impact on bringing cutting-edge treatments to people all across our state.”
“We are thrilled at the opportunity to take on an expanded role in research at our primary care location,” Craig Robinson, Cabin Creek Health Systems executive director, said. “I feel that practice-based research, supported by medical research experts, is incredibly necessary for the ongoing development of our clinicians and improving our systems of care.”
“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,” Hodder said.
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 (OT2 OD038378).