West Virginia and Oklahoma’s Choctaw Nation are each expanding addiction treatment access with digital recovery support tools, and public health leaders from both will present their approaches this week at NACCHO360, a national public health conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
The two case studies, though built for very different communities, reflect a shared challenge for addiction treatment centers across the country: helping people stay connected to recovery support in the hours and days between scheduled appointments, not just during them.
What West Virginia Is Doing
Leaders from the West Virginia University Health Affairs Institute, along with partner provider organizations, will present “Building a Digital Recovery System: West Virginia’s Model for Public Health Impact on Substance Use Disorder.”
Their session outlines a coordinated, statewide approach to reaching West Virginians affected by substance use disorder, using digital recovery support technology built by CHESS Health as a core component of the state’s strategy.
West Virginia has offered the underlying eRecovery platform at no cost to the state’s mental health and substance use organizations, giving care teams a shared tool for tracking recovery progress and giving individuals access to support resources between visits.
How Choctaw Nation Behavioral Health Is Addressing Rural Access
In Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation Behavioral Health (CNBH) will present “Addressing SUD in Tribal Communities: Digital Recovery Support Implementation, Adoption, and Outcomes,” alongside a clinician from the Chi Hullo Li Residential Treatment Center.
Tribal communities face some of the highest rates of substance use disorder in the country, compounded by geographic isolation, workforce shortages, and limited access to nearby addiction treatment centers.
CNBH deployed digital recovery tools across its clinics, its hospital, and its residential treatment facility, extending free, 24/7 access to peer support, crisis intervention, and addiction therapy resources.
The organization also integrated local services such as maternal health, child welfare, and domestic violence support so that recovery care stays culturally relevant and connected to existing community resources across the nearly 11,000 square miles the tribe serves in southeastern Oklahoma.
A Shared Conclusion Across Different Communities
“These two very different communities arrived at the same conclusion, that recovery support has to meet people where they are, and technology helps make that possible at scale,” said Hans Morefield, CEO of CHESS Health, the company whose technology underpins both programs.
Despite differing populations, West Virginia and Choctaw Nation both cited similar underlying barriers: geographic distance, the isolation that drug and alcohol addiction itself can create, culturally disconnected care, and health systems already stretched thin.
Both also emphasized that lasting recovery depends on engaging families, not just individuals, and connecting people to the providers and community services already present where they live.
Finding Addiction Treatment in West Virginia and Oklahoma
For residents of either state searching for local care, rehab centers increasingly combine in-person and digital recovery support, particularly in rural areas where transportation and provider shortages are common obstacles.
Look for programs that offer coordinated aftercare, culturally responsive care where relevant, and clear connections to peer support between appointments.
Addictions.com lists addiction treatment centers in West Virginia and Oklahoma searchable by location, treatment type, and insurance accepted. Call
800-681-1058
(
Sponsored)
for local options and guidance on next steps.