MOUNDSVILLE – If all goes well, West Virginia could be in line to receive as much as $100 million annually over the next five years to help the state with preventative healthcare programs, according to Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

Morrisey paid a visit Thursday to the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville to explain the Rural Health Grant application the state has sent to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It seeks grant funding to assist the state in becoming “healthier.”

As West Virginia residents grapple with such health issues as obesity, diabetes and hypertension, Morrisey noted he doesn’t believe there is another state more deserving of such funding.

The full amount of the grant is for $100 million over each of the next five years, he noted.

“If you live here, you know how special West Virginia is,” Morrisey said. “But as we dug in … we kept looking at the correlation between poor health care outcomes, and poor workforce participation.

“The more we looked at that, the more we knew we had to do something about it.”

He approached the Trump Administration about the importance of better healthcare outcomes in rural states such as West Virginia.

Morrisey noted that if the overall health for a person is improved, that person is able to remain working for a longer period of time and be a benefit to society. The grant money would be designated for programs to make health care more affordable and more accessible to West Virginians, he explained.

“We believe that workforce participation strength needs to be the state’s number one goal. Period,” he said. “When health care becomes more accessible, it relieves pressure on families, small businesses and taxpayers who shoulder the cost of inefficiencies.

“It is going to restore energy and opportunity to all the people we love, and it is central to making West Virginia the best place to live, work and play.”

Morrisey hopes the grant will be approved soon so that money is received at the start of next year. After this, programs can begin. The money would be used to provide more opportunities in the community for healthcare, such as through telehealth visits.

Colleges would receive funding to hire more health care instructors. Funds also would also be put toward recruiting, retaining and retraining healthcare professionals in the state, according to Morrisey.

There would also be more efforts to encourage West Virginia to get up, exercise and be more active, he said.

After being chided by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. earlier this year about his own weight, Morrisey pledged to walk at least one mile a day to set a good example for the state. He began the “Mountaineer Mile” initiative, and encouraged other West Virginians to join him.

On Thursday, Morrisey reports he has been true to his word, and most days walks at least 12,000 steps. So far, he has lost 12 pounds.

“If I can do it, everyone can do it,” he said.

(King can be contacted at jking@theintelligencer.net)