{"id":17774,"date":"2026-03-19T21:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T01:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=17774"},"modified":"2026-03-19T21:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T01:55:10","slug":"lenowisco-health-district-peer-recovery-specialist-nominated-for-statewide-award","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/lenowisco-health-district-peer-recovery-specialist-nominated-for-statewide-award\/","title":{"rendered":"LENOWISCO Health District Peer Recovery Specialist Nominated for Statewide Award"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">March 19, 2026<br \/>\nMedia Contact: Daniel Hunsucker, PIO, daniel.hunsucker@vdh.virginia.gov<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>LENOWISCO Health District Peer Recovery Specialist Nominated for Statewide Award<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>WISE,<\/strong> <strong>Va. \u2014 <\/strong>The Virginia Department of Health\u2019s LENOWISCO Health District is proud to announce that James Mills from the Wise County Health Department has received a nomination to become SAARA\u2019s Peer of the Year.<\/p>\n<p>Each year, SAARA of Virginia\u2019s Peer of the Year Award recognizes a peer recovery specialist who has gone above and beyond to support individuals, families, and communities on the path to recovery. Peers play a vital role in offering hope, connection, and lived experience to those navigating recovery, and we are proud to celebrate their impact across the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n<p>This year, James Mills is 1 out of 10 outstanding finalists in Virginia who represent the compassion, dedication, and leadership that define peer recovery support. Voting for the 2026 Peer of the Year Award is open March 17 through April 17 on SAARA of Virginia\u2019s website. Please take a moment to vote for James Mills as we believe he best embodies the spirit of recovery and peer support: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saara.org\/2026luncheon?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExeGZwNTdzejhKUVZrdUZvV3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4krtkyclhS8-2BMl00oOvFyMtnecDPqjMzZti5TnQbP7lzlYJ0T7FDcxiPFQ_aem_LVbt_y9dWaXRm9zyX3jJ6g\"><strong>www.saara.org\/2026luncheon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cJames brings compassion, understanding, and lived experience to the front lines with his job every day,\u201d said Reisa Sloce, director Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts.\u00a0 His dedication helps build trust, break down stigma, and connect at-risk individuals to the resources they need. All peers play an essential role in supporting recovery and strengthening the health of our entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>James Mills is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist who works in the LENOWISCO Health District serving Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties as well as the City of Norton.\u00a0 James plays a vital role in the district\u2019s comprehensive harm reduction program which began in 2018; the very first program of its kind in Virginia! Comprehensive harm reduction is a vital public health strategy that helps prevent the spread of communicable diseases and reduce the negative impacts of substance use while connecting individuals to care and support. By offering services such as access to naloxone, syringe services, testing for infectious diseases, and referrals to treatment and recovery resources, these programs help reduce overdose deaths, reduce the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis C, and improve overall community health.<\/p>\n<p>Harm reduction programs also create trusted, nonjudgmental spaces where individuals can access education and support, making them more likely to seek treatment when they are ready. By meeting people where they are, these programs not only save lives but also strengthen connections to long-term care, benefiting both individuals and the broader community.<\/p>\n<p>LENOWISCO Health District thanks James for his dedicated service and congratulates him on his nomination for SAARA\u2019s Peer of the Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>March 19, 2026 Media Contact: Daniel Hunsucker, PIO, daniel.hunsucker@vdh.virginia.gov LENOWISCO Health District Peer Recovery Specialist Nominated for Statewide Award WISE, Va. \u2014 The Virginia Department of Health\u2019s LENOWISCO Health District is proud to announce that James Mills from the Wise County Health Department has received a nomination to become SAARA\u2019s Peer of the Year. Each [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":518,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1601,161,1600,364,152],"class_list":["post-17774","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-harm-reduction-programs","tag-lenowisco-health-district","tag-peer-of-the-year","tag-reisa-sloce","tag-virginia-department-of-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>LENOWISCO Health District Peer Recovery Specialist Nominated for Statewide Award - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/lenowisco-health-district-peer-recovery-specialist-nominated-for-statewide-award\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LENOWISCO Health District Peer Recovery Specialist Nominated for Statewide Award - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"March 19, 2026 Media Contact: Daniel Hunsucker, PIO, daniel.hunsucker@vdh.virginia.gov LENOWISCO Health District Peer Recovery Specialist Nominated for Statewide Award WISE, Va. \u2014 The Virginia Department of Health\u2019s LENOWISCO Health District is proud to announce that James Mills from the Wise County Health Department has received a nomination to become SAARA\u2019s Peer of the Year. 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