Roanoke—The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission recently announced Bailey Medeiros’s appointment as the new director of the Roanoke Valley Collective Response, effective immediately. Bailey Medeiros (Helgeson) brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to the region’s response to addiction and mental health challenges, the commission said.
Medeiros was born and raised in Riverside, California. She attended The University of California Santa Barbara, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. In 2019, while on her own healing journey, Medeiros relocated to Virginia, where she found health, home and happiness. This transformative experience ignited her passion for supporting others in similar situations.
In 2022, Medeiros joined the Collective Response as a peer recovery coordinator and quickly advanced to the role of recovery community engagement lead. Her diverse experience includes working with housing-insecure populations, pregnant and newly parenting individuals, justice-involved persons, veterans and persons with developmental disabilities.
“I am honored to serve The Collective Response in this new capacity,” Medeiros shared. “I’m profoundly grateful for the opportunity to continue the work of the Collective Response, honoring the legacy of those who inspired its formation and recognizing the countless individuals who dedicated their time, energy, and passion towards its mission.”
Jeremy Holmes, executive director of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, expressed his confidence in Medeiros’s leadership. “Bailey has already shown a deep and enthusiastic commitment to the work of addiction recovery and in the region, and we are truly thrilled to have her step into this leadership role. The Regional Commission’s member governments and all the organizations working in this space will be well-served by Bailey’s energy, creativity, and empathy as we come together as a region to tackle this crisis.”
For more information about the Roanoke Valley Collective Response and its initiatives, please visit rvcollectiveresponse.org.
-The Salem Times-Register