About the CENTRAL APPALACHIAN PEER PARTNERSHIP

As a part of the Studies to Advance Recovery Support (STARS) project, we launched the Central Appalachian Peer Partnership (CAPP) in 2022-2023. This partnership is comprised of Peer Support Specialists (PSS) who will be informing the development of recovery science in Central Appalachia. The CAPP Advisory Council includes 10 PSS working in 6 Central Appalachian states (KY, NC, OH, TN, VA, and WV). These members provide leadership for CAPP and the CAPP Data Registry.

CAPP Members

Kentucky Representatives

Della Maxey, PRSS

Peer Support Intake Monitor at Liberty Place Recovery Center for Women

Della is a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist. 

Della has served in the capacity of a house manager in a sober living setting where she was responsible for clients on MAT.  In her current position as an intake monitor at Liberty Place Recovery Center for Women, she monitors detox and performs intake assessments. Della is a representative of the Grin Grant, a peer driven response to help those with dental problems from Substance Use receive new smiles. In her spare time, Della sponsors women in 12-step work and free-lance trainings of her own self-made curriculum for sober living.

Shannon Matthews, PRSS

Adult Peer Support Specialist at Voices of Hope INC.

Shannon is certified as an Adult Peer Support Specialist.

Shannon is the representative of Voices for the MORE Consortium of Madison County, a Recovery Coach for Voices of Hope in a local MOUD setting where she manages a case load of 30-40 clients. She was the Senior Coordinator at Dismas Diersen Charities, a House Manager at a sober living home, and facilitates SMART Recovery and Family Friends meetings. 

North Carolina Representatives

Patty Schaeffer, PRSS

Executive Director at WellSurgent Corporation

Patty holds two Associate degrees in Human Services and Developmental Disabilities, is a Certified Peer Support Specialist/Trainer and Certified Dental Lab Technician.

Patty is an Advanced WRAP Contract Facilitator and implemented the first pilot program of “WRAP for Youth.” Patty is an NCCPSS Trainer, SMART recovery leader, Mental Health First Aid Instructor, QPR instructor, and holds many additional training certifications. Patty has held multiple positions in Western North Carolina, such as serving as a representative for SCFAC, CFAC Chairman, Vice Chair of Cleveland County Adult Collaborative, Secretary of Veterans & Families Coalition, and serves on the board of directors at Gaston College’s Human Services Department. Patty has been awarded North Carolina’s Recovery Champion in 2017, Volunteer Service Award for Cleveland County, and presented the Bridge Builders Award from Mayor Philbeck of Shelby, NC.

Ohio Representatives

Danielle Ross, PRSS

Peer Recovery Support at Hopewell Health

Danielle is Certified in Peer Support

Danielle currently works with clients in crisis in the emergency room, engaging them and assisting with resources to aid in their recovery journey. Danielle completed her certified Community Health Worker and PRSS training in 2019.  She has lived experience with MOUD and most of her current work centers around women who are survivors of domestic violence. Prior to her experience with SUD, she took undergraduate chemistry and biology courses and is very interested in research.

Vanessa Escamilla, PRSS

Peer Recovery Supporter at Ross County Community Action

Vanessa has a Certificate in Business Information Systems and is a Certified Peer Recovery Supporter (CPRS)

Vanessa freelances as a CPRS Co-Facilitator and serves on the OhioPRO peer networking PSA Advisory Committee Council for the state of Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services. In her current organization she provides peer services, visits emergency shelters, provides activities and resources for treatment, trains on-boarding CPRS, aids persons of recovery in their requirements to become CPRS, and serves on a Post Overdose Response Team with local police, sheriff departments, ER and health districts. In previous positions Vanessa facilitated Peer-to-Peer support groups, recovery education, creative expressions, life skills and self-care groups in a detox inpatient environment. Vanessa is on the board of directors for the Hope Partnership Project collaboration, works on a sub communications committee creating a Stigma campaign, aids in local health district events, has coordinated Mental Health and relapse prevention grants, collects data and shares lived experience as a public speaker.

Tennessee Representatives

Bethany Sparkman

Lead Therapist and Mobile Crisis Response Therapist for Frontier Health

Bethany holds a Masters and a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Addiction while currently pursuing a Doctorate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is certified as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist and EMDR Therapist.

Bethany is currently the Lead Therapist after working as a residential technician, CPRS, case manager, and therapist at a residential facility for women. She also serves as a Mobile Response Therapist using motivational interviewing to determine level of care through mental health assessments to facilitate referrals to appropriate levels of care. Bethany previously facilitated groups, individual, and in-home services to reduce risk of relapse by reducing barriers and applying CPRS skills to encourage recovery for pregnant and postpartum women.

Jennifer Longmire

Peer Specialist at Crossroads Treatment Center

Jennifer is Certified as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist

Jennifer currently conducts assessments, identifies diagnoses, developes and implements treatment plans with assistance from the LPC and PHD’s, meetings for individuals and family groups including court-ordered, mandated sessions, sessions for dual diagnosis clients, case management, and provides crisis intervention. In previous roles such as Program Director, Family Case Manager and Recovery Coach, Jennifer provided clients a single point of contact, developed behavioral treatment plans, parenting and anger management classes, conducted outreach, assessments, goal planning, referrals as needed, and charted as required. Jennifer obtained a permit to use her riding arena and horse training expertise to perform a unique treatment as a life coach for Divine Mirrors Equine Recovery Camp.

Virginia Representatives

Elizabeth Childress, QMHP, RPRS, CRSS

SBIRT and STARS PRSS Coordinator at East Tennessee State University’s Addiction Science Center

Elizabeth is Licensed as a Qualified Mental Health Professional, holds a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Addiction Counseling, Bachelors of Science in Psychology, is in process of a Masters in Social Work, and is Certified as a Registered Peer Recovery Support Specialist in addition to a CPRS in Virginia and PRSS in Tennessee.

Elizabeth serves in many different arena’s at ETSU’s Addiction Science Center, from implementation to informing investigators on grants and projects as a Coordinator and Content Expert using her lived experience in addiction and as a PRSS. She successfully nominated and presented the Addiction Science Center for the Advocate of Peer Recovery Services Agency Award at the 2022 TDMHSAS PRSS Conference, and successfully nominated Dr. Angela Hagaman to be featured in the Illuminated Journal for Hagaman’s dissertation. She was recently granted the position of Captain of Virginia’s Association of Addiction Professionals to lead VAAP members in a meeting with Congress, is part of the Caring Workplace Project training for employers, and will be recording her experience and advice regarding SUD and pregnancy stigma for the Tennessee’s Department of Health’s Website.

West Virginia Representatives

Dan McCawley

Director of Operations at West Virginia Sober Living

Dan is Certified as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist and Intervention Professional.

As Director of Operations, Dan currently supervises the daily operations of a non-profit specializing in quality recovery residences, supervises a diverse team of outreach workers, grant managers, clinical staff, and housing specialists, monitors administrative processes and industry trends to identify opportunities, and assesses performance management structures to improve frameworks and results. Dan is the Vice President of WVSL Works, a 501c 3 non-profit, and Founding Board Member of the National Peer Recovery Alliance. He also is a co-author in the 2021 publication Establishing Peer Recovery Support Services to Address the Central Appalachian Opioid Epidemic: The West Virginia Peers Enhancing Education, Recovery, and Survival (WV PEERS) Pilot Program. DOI: 10.13023/jah.0303.04 https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0303.04.

Karen Dominick, BA, PRSS

Peer Support Specialist at Aetna Better Health of West Virginia

Karen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology and is certified as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist, Mental Health Ally, and SMART Recovery Facilitator.

Karen assists clients in aftercare and recovery planning including developing a network, connections, resources, and job and life skills such as housing and employment. She monitors and reports client performance, identifying at-risk behaviors, provides support for their many pathways to recovery, and aids in implementing coping mechanisms and identification of goals and barriers to recovery. As a Recovery Coach she assisted in developing aftercare planning, WRAP, facilitated meetings, assigned Peer caseloads, and organized Peer Recovery tasks and Community Service Engagement events. Karen has been awarded West Virginia’s iCARE Award, Held the President’s List, Dean’s List and National Dean’s List through West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

If you have any questions about the CAPP, please click below to email our team.

The STARS Network is supported by the National Institute On Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R24DA051973. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.