Dr. Susan Bissett leads the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute through years of accomplishment and growth.
written by JASON HAGER
Dr. Susan Bissett always wanted to be a college president. After spending 25 years in higher education in roles like dean of students, vice president of student affairs, and professor, she never imagined she would switch career paths to help fight the opioid crisis.
Most recently, Bissett served as assistant dean at the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy for six years. She was responsible for coordinating student-driven community outreach programs. Along with students and faculty, Bissett volunteered with Charleston’s Harm Reduction Program. Bissett also coordinated programs in which pharmacy students visited elementary schools to educate young children about medication safety. Under her leadership, the pharmacy school received three consecutive awards from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy for educating the public about medication adherence. While at UC, Bissett was also recognized by the Drug Enforcement Administration for outstanding contributions to the field of drug law enforcement for her prevention work.
Like most West Virginians, Bissett’s life was directly impacted by the opioid epidemic. For her, a pivotal moment occurred when she found herself a “first responder” to a fatal overdose. As a result of that experience, she felt emboldened to do more for her community and to work to combat death from substance use.
In spring 2019, Bissett left higher education to become the inaugural president of the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute (DII).
“As soon as I saw the job posting, I knew that was the job I wanted,” explains Bissett. “What was most exciting for me was the opportunity to build an organization from the ground up using evidence-based practices but also new, innovative approaches to respond to substance use and overdose.”
The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute was established after nine months of study and deliberation regarding the best ways to reduce opioid drug deaths in the state. Funding was promised by the Winston–Salem Foundation from a donor-advised fund established by BB&T (now Truist) and DII became an independent 501(c)(3) entity. The Institute’s mission is to reduce opioid and drug-related deaths by preventing substance use through education, reducing overdose through training and naloxone distribution, and supporting harm reduction and drug response efforts.
Now completing her fifth year as Institute president, Bissett reflects on the gravity of what she and her team have been able to accomplish in such a short time. “In 2019, the Institute was really a seed of an idea. We had no staff and no programs,” she explains. “Today we are a thriving nonprofit that is recognized throughout the country as a leader in best practices for overdose response and prevention education.”
Now known outside of West Virginia as simply “the Drug Intervention Institute,” the organization has accomplished significant milestones in five short years.
- More than 30,000 people have been trained on naloxone administration.
- 100,000 fentanyl test strips have been distributed throughout all 55 West Virginia counties.
- The “Be the One” program was implemented on 27 college and university campuses in West Virginia in collaboration with the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network and Marshall University Research Corporation.
- The Institute’s service area has expanded to include as a priority all of Appalachia, and additionally, the United States.
Education is also key to the Institute’s mission. Educational outreach and programming have expanded significantly since 2019.
- More than 40,000 youth and families in 34 West Virginia counties have been educated on the importance of safe medication use, storage, and disposal through the organization’s Don’t Keep Rx Around™ medication safety program.
- In partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the Don’t Keep Rx Around™ program goes nationwide in fall 2024 via PBS’s open-source platform for grades pre-K through 5.
- In April 2024, a documentary co-produced with West Virginia Public Broadcasting featuring middle and high school students sharing their perspectives on substance use and mental health will air on public broadcasting.
The Institute has also distributed 10,000 ONEboxes™ (opioid naloxone emergency kits) throughout all 50 states, with more than 200 reports of lives saved. The ONEbox™ is an emergency opioid overdose reversal kit designed to ensure that individuals have lifesaving naloxone and on-demand training required for bystander intervention during a drug overdose. Invented by Huntington native and entrepreneur Joe Murphy, the ONEbox™ features a 60-second emergency training video in English and Spanish that enables anyone to respond in case of an overdose and administer naloxone, even if no previous training has been completed. Additionally, a long-form training video can be used to train individuals or groups of people on naloxone administration.
ONEbox™ overdose response kit distributed by the Drug Intervention Institute, featured here with naloxone. wvdii.org/onebox
In addition, the DII is working to increase the state’s recovery workforce in partnership with the state’s Office of Drug Control Policy and West Virginia Jobs in Hope. Fifty percent of the Institute’s employees are persons in long-term recovery. That percentage will expand with the help of a $478,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission received in September 2023. The Institute will hire 10 additional persons in recovery to assist law enforcement in distributing naloxone and providing naloxone education in 10 at-risk counties in West Virginia and Kentucky.
Jan Rader, director of the Mayor’s Council on Public Health and Drug Control Policy in Huntington, participated in the deliberative study and discussions surrounding the creation of the Institute and credits Bissett for its success. “The incredible success of the Drug Intervention Institute under the leadership of Dr. Bissett is no surprise. With excellent leadership and communication skills coupled with compassion and dedication, Susan was the perfect choice for the inaugural president. The number of lives she has and will indirectly touch in a positive way is immeasurable.”
Bissett, however, credits partnerships and collaboration along with her team and board of directors. “We have an amazing team and tremendous support from communities and organizations around the country,” she says. “It takes many hands to do this work. There is much left to be done.” wvdii.org
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