On the eve of Recovery Advocacy Day at the West Virginia Legislature, a new statewide advocacy organization—Recovery Empowerment through Policy, Advocacy, Transformation and Hope (RE-PATH)—was launched at the West Virginia Culture Center last evening. The announcement was made by James “Jay” Phillips, president of Seed Sower, Inc. at a reception hosted by the West Virginia Association of Addiction and Prevention Professionals.
Phillips says RE-PATH West Virginia represents an important new chapter for substance use disorder recovery in the Mountain State.
“RE-PATH is a movement led by people in recovery, for people in recovery—designed to amplify voices, strengthen communities and help transform how our state supports long-term recovery,” he says. “The group began as a grassroots effort. Recovery leaders from every corner of West Virginia were seeing the same reality: too many people are still falling through the cracks, and too many recovery voices are missing from the tables where decisions are made.”
RE-PATH named its leadership and unveiled its logo. Its first priority is to collaborate with providers, communities, recovery champions, allies and state leaders to create a seamless, person-centered continuum of care—one that recognizes recovery not as a moment, but as a lifelong journey.
Officers of RE-PATH West Virginia are Rachel Thaxton, co-chair of the West Virginia First Foundation of Saint Albans; Jay Phillips, co-chair of Seed Sower, Inc. of Beckley; Matt Boggs, treasurer of Recovery Point of Huntington; and Anna Holley, Putnam County secretary.
The leader of Seed Sower, a non-profit serving southern West Virginia, explained that RE-PATH will build upon the foundational work of Joe Deegan and others with the Appalachian Recovery Alliance of West Virginia.
“We realized that by working together, we could chart a clearer, stronger path forward for recovery in our state,” Phillips says. “We have also been fortunate to learn from People Advocating Recovery (PAR)—an organization that has long advanced advocacy and awareness efforts in Kentucky. We are deeply grateful to PAR’s president, Tara Mosley Hyde, for her mentorship and guidance as we worked to establish RE-PATH here in West Virginia.”
Asked why RE-PATH was formed, Phillips says, “West Virginia is a state with a proud and powerful history. It is also a state that has been deeply impacted by substance use disorder and related diseases of despair. But just as real are the stories of resilience, recovery, courage and hope—stories unfolding every day in our families, our communities and our cities. Across this state, individuals and organizations are doing extraordinary work, often with limited resources, creating meaningful and lasting outcomes. Those stories matter. And they deserve to be elevated. While our individual voices are powerful, we are stronger—and louder—together.”
“RE-PATH exists to bring lived experience into the conversations that shape policy, programs and systems,” Phillips says. “We are here to help close gaps between treatment, housing, employment and long-term recovery support. And we are here to help communities move from crisis response toward recovery-oriented solutions. This work is about more than services. It’s about dignity. It’s about hope. And it’s about opportunity.”
Earlier this week, representatives of RE-PATH West Virginia heard from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), at a national conference in Washington, D.C.
Phillips says the HHS secretary announced new federal initiatives in prevention and recovery.
“Some people listened with optimism,” says Phillips. “Some voiced concern. Others expressed frustration, and others left in political protest. At RE-PATH, we don’t care whether there’s a D or an R after your name. We care that our friends, our neighbors and our loved ones are hurting—and that too many are still dying. Addiction does not discriminate. And meaningful solutions require all of us, across ideologies and affiliations, working together.”
He says it is the ultimate goal of RE-PATH to create a movement built on compassion, courage and connection. A movement that says every life in recovery matters. And a movement that says West Virginia can lead the nation in recovery-oriented systems of care.”
