FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – The second annual Healing Our Plateau was a powerful experience that allowed people to feel seen, heard, understood and supported on their healing journeys.
The Fayette County Health Department collaborated with the Fayette Prevention Coalition on the Lively Family Amphitheater event.
“Five years ago, when I first started working in this field, and I came over here to Fayette County and started talking about treatment rather than jail, people looked at me like I had five heads,” said Dave Taylor (seven years clean and sober in June 2025). “Now, when you come out to any event here, I mean, it’s heartwarming and gives us hope because it takes everybody to fight this epidemic.”
From St. Joe’s Parkersburg to Seed Sower, recovery programs and the support of the people there saved Jasmine Turney’s life.
“Before that, I was completely lost. I was beyond broken. And it was just complete chaos,” said Turney (clean and sober since November 13, 2024). “I had been strung out for a long time. I fought addiction my whole life. On both sides of my family are nothing but alcoholics and addicts. So addiction was pretty much a normal thing.”
When it comes to recovery, you have to want it or it won’t happen.
“You can’t want it for your kids. You can’t want it for your mother. It’s something you have to do for yourself,” said Turney.
It was meaningful to FCHD Peer Recovery Support Specialist Paula McCutcheon to hold the event in Oak Hill during September’s recovery month.
“This is home. This is where my kids are growing up. This is where I grew up. It’s also where I caused a lot of trouble,” said McCutcheon. “So I feel like work is my amends and making up for that and trying to be positive and just change that so our kids don’t have to go through it.”
Turney says it doesn’t matter what you’ve done; everybody deserves recovery.
“We’re more than an addict. Just because we’ve had an addiction doesn’t mean that we’re not worth anything,” she said.
There is still stigma associated with people who use.
“And that stigma prevents people from reaching out and seeking help because of the guilt and the shame and the remorse that comes with the things that we participate in, in active addiction,” Autumn McCraw (seven years clean and sober in 2025) said. “However, today’s event, I think, is very beautiful because we’re celebrating recovery, not necessarily active addiction anymore. We’re really showing the community what active recovery looks like.”
Turney went through family treatment court, is working on getting her GED, has a job, and is now able to see her kids, after losing them.
“It’s a success journey, but just because you get a little bit of it doesn’t mean that you stop there,” she said. “You have to keep going. I’ve been down to the lowest of the lows of rock bottom; I hope and pray I can save one person’s life or inspire somebody with my story.”
“We do have a lot of great resources,” added McCutcheon. “I hope a lot of them come out tonight and maybe even help one person; it’d be worth it.”
