A letter from our founder:

Thank you for taking the first step toward being an active participant in helping our communities strengthen and thrive.

22 million Americans are struggling with addiction, affecting 100 million family members.  One in every three Americans is directly affected by this disorder.  In the US, alcohol and other drugs claim more than 135,000 lives every year, that’s 370 per day - or 15 people dying every hour.  Addiction is the third largest cause of death in the US, after heart disease and cancer. West Virginia, my home state, ranks number one on the list of highest overdose deaths by state, per capita.

Opiate addiction is surging in the United States at a frightening pace.  Here in West Virginia, two people die each day from opiate related overdose. 

With that backdrop, I set out to develop Jacob’s Ladder at Brookside Farm, LLC, a program designed to help those who have chosen to change their life and move forward in a positive direction. We opened this treatment facility for individuals who have personally demonstrated a willingness to quit and a desire to heal. 

Jacob’s Ladder is a long-term residential treatment community for young men challenged by addiction.  The goal of the Jacob’s Ladder program is to foster an awakening through the synthesis of expert clinical treatment, 12-step principles, facilitated self-discovery by way of a deliberate practice of mindfulness, and engaged participation in a working farm environment.

The program requires a 6-month commitment, where treatment is individualized within a structured program of progressive phases. We complement clinical aspects of the treatment program with music & arts programming, and outdoor recreation programs, while immersed in a farming community where everyone is focused on maintaining unconditional positive regard for self, others and the earth.

We are hosting and treating those afflicted with addiction in a beautiful, welcoming and inspiring natural setting where they can focus their entire existence on their voluntary recovery. 
 
Of the 22 million Americans struggling with addiction, only 2 million are receiving specialized treatment; 20 million Americans are not getting the help they need.  This project is hopefully the first of several across our great state.  We believe we can complement other great programs in the region, all of whom are overwhelmed by excessive, and growing, demand.
 
I'm doing all that I can to address this national epidemic that has reached epic proportions. Almost all of us know a family member or friend who has been touched by addiction.   We look forward to the day when almost all of us know a family member or friend who has been touched by recovery.

I hope you will help us to help those with the desire to heal, but who may lack the necessary means to pay for a longer term solution.

Sincerely,

Kevin Blankenship, MD
Founder and CEO

"Two people are dying in West Virginia every single day. Every day that I am not part of the solution, I remind myself that two more have died."

"We are working to illuminate a path to an awakening, and continuous sobriety, by cultivating an environment of unconditional love and positive regard; transferring proven therapies to daily routines via structured yet individually-adaptive programs; and cooperatively farming to establish a meaningful connection with self, others and the earth."