Patients finding hope in Regional Recovery Center

ROAN MOUNTAIN, Tenn. (WJHL) — State commissioners and local players visited the Northeast Tennessee Regional Recovery Center for a tour of the facility and to speak with the center’s first year of patients.

The facility helps people in nine Northeast Tennessee counties, from Mountain City to Morristown, on their journey to recovery. The center has 45 beds, according to the Tennessee Bar Association website .

Christopher Foister is on his sixth in recovery at the Northeast Tennessee Regional Recovery Center. A Washington County native, Foister was in an outpatient program before but failed multiple drug screens and was in jail again.

“They gave me an opportunity to come here and I’m so thankful for second chances,” said Foister. “Whenever I first agreed to come to the program, I thought it was just going to be a ‘get out of jail free card’. But, once I got here, got to know everybody, and actually hit the ground running, my whole outlook on life changed.”

Governor Bill Lee joined local leaders in cutting the ribbon on the facility in July 2023 . The facility began taking patients in October 2023.

The 22 current patients in the facility go through five phases over 12 months. Foister is in his phase of recovery where he’s eligible for employments.

Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Elizabethton helps these men gain their education and certificates with donated computers. Foister has been OSHA 10 certified, personal protective equipment certified, precision measurements certified, and is expected to start work at a factory soon.

The goal is to set the patients up for success when they finish the program.

“Individuals graduate these programs, be productive members of society,” said Carter County mayor, Patty Woodby. “They are maintaining sobriety. They are getting their children out of DCS and spending quality time with them. They’re joining the workforce, and they’re contributing back into the society instead of being a burden on the taxpayers, especially in our local jails.”

Woodby has an employee who has graduated from a recovery program with full benefits, retirement, sick days, and paid vacation days—something she said they’ve never had.

“What we want to do, especially in my realm of the world, from the governor to the general assembly down to local leadership, is to remove the stigma that addiction and people who are in addiction, dealing with mental health issues, there are people out there who want to help,” said Woodby.

The facility is getting ready to take in five additional patients within the next few weeks to start their journey to recovery. Through conversations with people and patients, leaders are left proud of the work that’s starting.

“Created a team and a place where people get off that path of what our God-given talents, gifts, and abilities are; here’s a place where we can heal,” said Marie Williams, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

News Channel 11 asked Foister what he would say to others struggling with addiction.

“Just take a good look at yourself, dig deep, and take a chance on recovery because it is worth it, and there is help out there,” said Foister.

He said one thing he’s most excited about is seeing his family when he graduates from the program and giving his daughters a hug. He has until January 2025 before he graduates.

The center has five patients graduating in the first round of patients this October. After graduating, the patients enter an outpatient program where they will be supervised for the remainder of their probationary period.

The center accepts patients continuously.

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