Executive Director and Program Coordinator named for the new BMH Substance & Mental Health Treat

Plans are underway for the new Boone Memorial Hospital Substance and Mental Health Treatment Program. The hospital, in partnership with Marshall Health, PROACT (Provider Response Organization for Addiction, Care and Treatment) of Huntington and Cabell Huntington Hospital received the AFA State Opioid Response: Community Innovation for Treatment Access and Retention grant. The purpose of the grant is to utilize funding to address the opioid crisis by increasing services in underserved areas, such as Boone County.

The Boone Memorial Hospital program will be known as Brighter Futures, Substance & Mental Health Treatment and will be housed on the 4th floor of the Hill Chiropractic building located on Main Street, Madison. Initially, the program will offer various spokes such as social services, group and individual therapy, peer recovery, medication assisted treatment and referral services. Over time, it is the intent to add job placement,

spiritual care, dental care and worksite monitoring.

Brent Tomblin, who has served as Boone Memorial’s Physician Practice Manager since 2018, has been named Executive Director of Brighter Futures and Chelsea Carter has been named Program Coordinator and Social Worker.

Tomblin is a Logan County native who recently moved to Charleston, West Virginia. He is a 2012 and 2014 graduate of Marshall University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Health Care and a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration respectively. Following his graduation, Tomblin began his career at Charleston Area Medical Center as the Program Coordinator for the Partners in Health Network (PIHN). Partners in Health Network is a group of hospitals, health clinics, and county health departments working together to improve the delivery of healthcare services across southern West Virginia. In 2017 Tomblin transitioned to a management role at CAMC as the Urology Ambulatory Department Manager. In 2018, Tomblin accepted the position at Boone Memorial Hospital as Physician Practice Manager. In this role, he was responsible for day to day operational and financial improvement, growth, and development for multiple physician practices, a walk-in clinic, and an outpatient pharmacy. The physician practices included Internal Medicine, Family Practice, Cardiology, Dermatology and several other part time specialties.

In addition to his employment at BMH, Tomblin is a board member of the Logan County Chamber of Commerce, a graduate of the 2016 class of Leadership Logan, a member of Aracoma Lodge #99, Logan Shrine Club, Beni Kedum Shrine Temple, 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason and is in the 2019 Leadership WV Class. Tomblin and his wife Brittany reside in South Charleston with their two fur children, Penny (dog) and Kat (cat). He was also named as the Generation Next 40 under 40 for 2019.

Tomblin is looking forward to his new endeavor.

“I am excited to take on the role of Executive Director of Brighter Futures. It’s an honor to lead BMH in the county and State against the opioid epidemic. I feel it will be the driving force of positive change in the area. I look forward to working with the great employees of BMH, the community and our State partners to truly make a difference.”

Chelsea Carter, a Boone County Native, currently living in Madison, West Virginia was recently hired as the Social Worker of Brighter Futures. After 10 years in sobriety, Carter, a recovering addict became a drug counselor and received a full unconditional pardon. Carter received her Bachelor’s Degree in the Art of Psychology from West Virginia State University in 2013 and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Concord University in 2016. She received her LGSW (Licensed Graduate Social Worker) and will test for her LICSW (Licensed Independent Social Worker) by the first of the year. She has also received certification in alcohol and drug counseling.

Carter led both group and individual therapy sessions at Charleston Treatment Center, ran relapse prevention groups at Ridgeline Counseling Services in Alum Creek, and offered individual counseling at Vigo Family Healthcare in Chapmanville. From 2015-2019 Carter served as the Program Director of Ohio Valley Health, which included managing and evaluating staff, preparing monthly reports, leading individual counseling, relapse prevention groups and addiction based groups. In addition, Carter was awarded International Honor Society Psi Chi, Dean’s List and Honor Society in the Masters of Social Work Program and was recognized by the National Drug Court of Professionals in 2017 for the role she has played in impacting other peoples’ recovery.

Carter is a board member of the Boone County Drug Court in Madison with Judge Will Thompson, the very program from which she graduated. Carter was the third person to actually graduate from the program.

“After going through treatment I realized I wanted to give back what I had been given so freely…my recovery. I have buried so many people because of this disease and if I can help make a difference in even one person’s life, then that will make it all worth it,” said Carter.

Carter has numerous accomplishments relating to her part in tackling the opioid epidemic. Just to name a few; she participated in Project Goal in Boone County Schools, which teaches young children about addiction, Carter has made several State-wide educational videos, worked with Boone and Lincoln county drug courts to offer group sessions about relapse prevention and coping skills, sat on a substance abuse panel with Hilary Clinton, was an invitee to the Obama event in WV to discuss the opioid epidemic and was instrumental in starting a sober living home in Boone County, ‘The Hero House.’ In addition, Carter is currently working closely with Judge Thompson to create one of the first family treatment courts in West Virginia.

“As a person in long-term recovery, I can’t express the joy I feel to be able to provide treatment to help people get their lives back on track. To get others away from the disease of addiction in the county in which I grew up means so much to me. I look forward to working with the great staff at BMH and making a difference in our wonderful community.”

Tomblin and Carter are already busy at work getting the program ready. It is expected to be fully functional by the first of the year.

“We are thrilled to have both Brent and Chelsea on board,” said BMH Chief Executive Officer, Virgil Underwood. “We want to make a positive impact in our community and tackle the opioid epidemic.

I feel confident that the Brighter Futures Program can do just that. I can’t think of two better people with the drive, experience and resources to lead this program,” concluded Underwood.