West Virginia’s state health officer resigns but will continue opioid nonprofit work
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, left, speaks about the inaugural meeting of the West Virginia First Foundation alongside foundation board chair Matt Harvey and vice chair Matt Christiansen, right, at the state Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Nov. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham, File)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s state health officer, who was recently reelected as a leader of the private nonprofit charged with distributing much of the state’s opioid settlement dollars, has resigned.
Dr. Matt Christiansen’ s final day with the state health department was Friday, the agency announced Monday in a news release. The release did not say who would serve as interim health officer in Christiansen’s absence.
Christiansen reelected last week as vice chair of the West Virginia First Foundation. The board also announced a proposal to allocate $20 million to create a 10-county overdose reduction network involving Marshall University, where Christiansen is an associate professor at the medical school, focusing on family care and addiction medicine.
The allocation of West Virginia opioid settlement money is intended to bolster an initial $15 million federal investment in the Appalachian Continuum of Care for Overdose Reduction Network project.
Christiansen said he’s proud of his work as state health officer, rebuilding public health in West Virginia after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Public health staff are unsung heroes who keep us healthy, and they deserve our respect and thanks every single day,” he said in a statement.
As state health officer, Christiansen worked to build relationships by visiting all 48 local health departments and launching monthly engagement calls for stakeholders to better coordinate the work being done across the state. He also launched the state’s first anti-vaping campaign targeting youth. West Virginia has one of the highest rates of youth vaping in the country.