Joseph Deegan
Business Development Liaison , Thomas Health
MAGGIE HATFIELD
For Joseph Deegan , business development liaison of Thomas Health , the story of how he ended up where he is today is one of tragedy and triumph . Deegan lost both of his parents during his youth , but he always admired the legacies they left behind .
“ My dad , even though he died when I was just 15 months old , had been the mayor of Bridgeport , WV , for many years , and I heard stories about him from members of the community ,” Deegan says . “ My mother , who passed away when I was 16 years old , was a registered nurse and she too was held in high regard in the community for her caring nature . Their memory and the respect they elicited developed in me a sense of a calling to lead a life of service to others .”
After Deegan ’ s mother died , he was not prepared for the freedom he was given even though he had the support of his sisters .
“ Consequently , I began to use alcohol and other drugs routinely , which developed into a serious problem when I was at West Virginia University ( WVU ). By the time I was 21 , I was a full-blown alcoholic and addict ,” he says . “ At this time , Bob Malone , who was the leader of a student Christian ministry group , Intervarsity Christian Fellowship , reached out to me . In my desperation , I acquiesced and joined the group that provided
a home for me where other young men , most of whom were developing lives devoted to ministry , accepted me with open arms and nurtured me back to a life of stability .”
After he got his life back on track , Deegan received his bachelor ’ s and master ’ s degrees in social work from WVU . To add to his list of achievements , Deegan is a licensed independent clinical social worker and is credentialed as an advanced alcohol and drug counselor and supervisor in West Virginia .
Deegan has held many positions over the past 40 years . He started out as a community social worker for Scott ’ s Run Settlement House in Osage , WV ,
Photo by Eriel Lauffer .
and held his first position at Thomas Health in 1987 as a clinical coordinator for the SouthWay Treatment Center , where he stayed for 13 years . He believes one of his greatest successes is being able to return to Thomas Health and pick up where he left off in 2000 .
Deegan recently celebrated 13 years in recovery , and he is focused on behavioral health services specifically related to substance use disorders for Thomas Health . As business development liaison , his role is to assist the behavioral health services team in program development , community outreach and staff mentor ing , as well as providing a link to other agencies and government entities as Thomas
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