More West
Virginians died as a result of substance abuse in 2013 than auto
accidents. That doesn’t come as a surprise to Jim Wilkerson. He’s the
development director of the T Center. Once it’s built, it will be the first of
its kind residential facility for the treatment of substance abuse in West Virginia
The developers kicked off a $10
million capital campaign on Thursday during a ceremony in Charleston
Jim Wilkerson is leading fundraising efforts for the $10 million
project.
Wilkerson, who struggled with
substance abuse earlier in life, stressed the T Center will be unique.
“In my own personal situation, I
ended up having to travel out of state. There are no facilities like this in
the state,” he stressed.
Wilkerson said the West Virginia
“A lot of programs, they take a
patient in and they work with them to detox them. Often times they’re released
without the right support for a successful recovery,” explained Wilkerson.
The plan for the T Center is to
offer long-term treatment, anywhere from 14 days to three months, however long
it takes to make sure those with alcohol and drug problems have the skills to
cope with their addiction once they walk back out into the real world.
That will include help for loved
ones.
“Patients have the ability to
include and involve their family in their recovery,” he stressed.
There will be individual counseling
for family members as well as group sessions with the patient.
The T Center will be located
somewhere in the Charleston
Wilkerson admits treatment doesn’t come cheap but the goal is
try to make the T Center as affordable as possible.
