Welch, McDowell County Clinics See Spike in Positive Substance Use Screens

Primary care and behavioral-health providers in Welch and surrounding McDowell County have seen a measurable uptick in patients who screen positive for substance use during routine clinic check-ins, compared with screening results recorded before the county flood. Clinic staff in Welch reported the change during standard check-in procedures used at both primary care offices and behavioral-health clinics across the county.

Clinics in downtown Welch and in outlying McDowell County communities identified the pattern during the same intake screens patients complete when they arrive for appointments. Providers said the increase showed up on the standardized screening tools used at registration and initial nursing assessments, rather than emerging only in later therapy sessions or emergency visits.

Local clinicians compared current check-in screen results with pre-flood baseline measures and described the difference as measurable. Primary care clinicians and behavioral-health counselors who conduct brief substance use screenings during check-ins noted that more patients now register positive responses on those screens than did in the period before the flood disrupted homes and services in the area.

The shift has played out in multiple points of care across McDowell County, from Welch clinics that handle routine adult primary care to behavioral-health offices that follow patients for ongoing counseling. Because these positive screens occur at intake, clinic teams are encountering substance use concerns earlier in visits - at registration and triage - rather than only through later clinical questioning.

Patients who want help or have questions about check-in screening should raise those concerns with the primary care or behavioral-health provider at their next appointment in Welch or elsewhere in McDowell County. Clinic intake staff and treating clinicians in the county are the first point of contact for follow-up, referrals, or discussion of treatment options after a positive screen.