Logan County's one-of-a-kind recovery and education program earns national spotlight
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Logan County's one-of-a-kind recovery and education program earns national spotlight
Shana Nelson | WVOW News
LOGAN A first-of-its-kind educational program developed in Logan County reached a national audience this week at a collegiate recovery conference in Colorado.
Aaron Blankenship, Peer Recovery Support Specialist (PRSS) trainer at Southern and assistant project director of the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network, presented Southern's PRSS micro-credential program during the annual conference of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education, Association of Recovery Schools, and Association of Alternative Peer Groups in Denver.
The presentation placed Logan County on the national stage as recovery professionals, behavioral health leaders and higher education administrators from across the country met to share innovative approaches to addiction recovery.
Southern is the only community college participating in the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network, a statewide partnership connecting colleges and universities with support services, prevention education and recovery resources. While several institutions in the network offer recovery-focused programs, Southern is the only one offering a micro-credential specifically for Peer Recovery Support Specialists.
In an interview with WVOW News before the conference, Blankenship said the opportunity placed the program before some of the nation's most influential leaders in collegiate recovery, behavioral health and higher education.
"There are going to be administrators of behavioral health agencies there, colleges from around the country and so many people in really renowned positions who will be able to hear what Southern has done as the first of its kind in West Virginia,” Blankenship said.
Blankenship said his research found very few comparable programs anywhere.
"As far as I know, I've only been able to find one other PRSS micro-credential in the world, and it comes from Purdue Global," he said. "The efforts that Southern has put forth, and the activities that I've had there, is nothing short of historical."
The six-day PRSS training provides hands-on instruction, prepares individuals with lived experience in addiction recovery to become certified Peer Recovery Support Specialists and gives them a pathway to earn their state credentials.
Blankenship said the program represents more than an educational milestone. He said addiction once consumed his life, leading to incarceration and the loss of opportunities like his first attempt at college.
"My only experience with college was that I had been a student at Southern in 2014, and ended up leaving and dropping out due to substances," Blankenship said.
After finding recovery through Logan's New Beginnings program, Blankenship completed peer recovery training at Southern before being employed by the college in March 2022. Since then, he has helped build the school’s PRSS program while earning an associate degree in business administration from Southern. He then completed a bachelor's degree in social work from Concord University and is working toward a Master of Social Work degree at Marshall University.
Blankenship said the PRSS program reflects a broader effort to strengthen the recovery workforce and the communities they serve.
"We're able to really address this issue from an educational standpoint through an institution to help give community-based solutions, to alleviate issues in our communities and ultimately make all of our lives better," he said.
He said expanding the program could benefit colleges and communities across the nation.
"It would help both the institution and the communities they serve," Blankenship said. "Ultimately, it's a win-win for everybody. It helps the institutions, helps the peers, helps the community. It helps everybody."
Blankenship also spoke about the economic impact that the PRSS program can have by providing new career opportunities in the community.
"People who have had those experiences, that are now in a safe, successful recovery and are able to maintain that recovery, are able to get credentialed and have the ability to make a living wage," he said.
After returning home, Blankenship called into WVOW’s “What’s Your Opinion?” to reflect on the experience at the conference in Denver. He said the opportunity was personal to his own recovery journey and the work he does now.
“I’m moving into my seventh year of recovery,” Blankenship said. “I’m able to really reach back into the community and try to help people become successful and see successful recovery outcomes in their lives… I am a very blessed man to be where I’m at, doing what I’m doing right now.”
He said the response to his presentation in Denver was strong, gaining interest from professionals and other programs across the country.
“It seemed to be received pretty well,” Blankenship said. “I actually had some interest from other parties that were in the nation that run programs similar to these, and they had been talking to me about how we instituted this and how they could take this program on for themselves.”
Blankenship said that level of interest reinforced the broader purpose of the program.
“It’s really satisfying to know that this kind of work is going to go out to the people and that the people are going to be benefitted from this because ultimately that’s the goal,” he said. “I want to see people healed, I want to see people come through the throes of addiction and come into a state where they can see a wonderful life that is available to them… I just want to share a message that as long as there is breath in someone’s body, there is hope for a better tomorrow.”
The next PRSS micro-credential class is Aug. 3-6, 10 and 11 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Logan campus of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College in Building A. Funding is available through HEAPS for eligible participants to help cover the $250 cost.
Contact Aaron Blankenship at 304-896-7308 or aaron.blankenship@southernwv.edu.
PHOTOS | Aaron Blankenship, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College