NRVCS.NET Welcome to the New River Valley Community Support Network
Don't trust healthcare workers or services in the New River Valley area.
In a Crisis?
Avoid helplines, like 988, that are forced to ask certain discriminatory and triggering questions about your thoughts and actions. These helplines would refer you to organizations like New River Valley Community Services.
DO NOT GO TO THE HOSPITAL UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO. They turn voluntary admissions into involuntary admissions and restrict your rights.
DO NOT CONTACT THE 401 PEER CENTER IN RADFORD, VIRGINIA!
In An ECO or TDO Process?
Record everything.
If you're currently being processed through an inappropriate ECO or TDO, call the magistrates office to submit a verbal complaint and request your release.
If you're being refused a copy of your TDO to identify which magistrates office to complain to, you can find the appropriate magistrates office by visiting https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/chief_magistrates.pdf.
Experiences with New River Valley Community Services in Southwest Virginia
"Because of New River Valley Community Services, I've been handcuffed 3 times and put at risk of being homeless twice." - Ani
In 2023, After submitting complaints by email, New River Valley Community Services became involved in landlord/tenant issues when staff member James "Scott" Law petitioned for the abduction of Ani, through the use of Form DC-4001, from their home at the request of an abusive caregiver after Ani submitted complaints by email to NRVCS. Ani was held against their will for ~200 hours and received threats of being sent to a state facility. Reports of caregiver abuse were dismissed despite the evidence.
In 2024, New River Valley Community Services failed to protect Ani from their abusive caregiver after NRVCS staff member Crystal Parrish had documented that the abusive caregiver lied to law enforcement.
In 2025, After submitting complaints by email, New River Valley Community Services became involved in a neighbor dispute when 401 Peer Center Program Director Jared Lawson forwarded communications intended for the 401 Peer Center to Director Kari Beth James. Kari James petitioned for the abduction of Ani, through the use of Form DC-4001, from their home after NRVCS employee Logan Hoops exposed Ani's communications with NRVCS to their boyfriend - Anis upstairs neighbor - and Ani submitted complaints by email to NRVCS. Ani was held against their will for ~50 hours before a Special Justice found that they didn't meet the criteria for commitment and released them. Ani was forced to move from their home for their safety. It took nearly 5 months of regular emails for NRVCS to attach Anis complaint to their records. NRVCS still refuse to remove the misdiagnoses.
New River Valley Community Services refuses to accept any responsibility for the actions of their employees.
They won't confirm if any disciplinary actions have been taken against the NRVCS employees involved.
The Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Daryl Washington, and the Executive Director of New River Valley Community Services, Chris Taylor, support the statements from their staff that NRVCS employees "acted appropriately" when they violated Anis rights and that Ani's "just upset about the TDO process" despite the evidence.
The Roanoke Catawba Local Human Rights Committee claimed that NRVCS employees were not required to report Anis reported caregiver abuse because the caregiver "wasn't employed by NRVCS or DBHDS."
The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services have indicated that they're implementing a policy requiring their staff to reply to emails within 24 hours.
They had to abduct a software engineer for nearly 250 hours to learn basic business email etiquette.
New River Valley Community Services and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services refuses to answer the following questions from Ani:
In 2023, why were emails, including complaints and requesting services, ignored by New River Valley Community Services?
In 2023, why were requests for services ignored by New River Valley Community Services?
In 2023, why did New River Valley Community Services claim that I was refusing services on Form DC-4001?
In 2023, why were my reports of caregiver abuse ignored by NRVCS New Horizons staff?
In 2023, why were my psychiatric services from NRVCS not cancelled per my request?
In 2023, why were NRVCS New Horizons staff threatening to send me to a state psychiatric facility if I didn't cooperate?
In 2024, why were my reports of caregiver abuse ignored by my NRVCS case manager?
In 2024, why were my NRVCS services cancelled after reporting issues with my NRVCS Case Manager, Crystal Parrish?
In 2025, why was my personal information used to harass me with a private phone call and a wellness check by NRVCS Director Kari James?
In 2025, why were emails, including complaints, ignored by New River Valley Community Services?
In 2025, why were my communications intended for the 401 Peer Center ignored, forwarded to NRVCS Director Kari James, and exposed with my upstairs neighbor?
In 2025, what was appropriate about the response from Logan Hoops posing for my Ring Doorbell and regularly flipping it off for months?
Why is NRVCS refusing to pay for the TDO that NRVCS Program Director Heather Turman said they would pay for?
Who is responsible for Community Service Boards in Virginia?
Fight for your Rights
The government has made it as difficult as possible for you to take action against organizations like New River Valley Community Services.
Most of the information about your rights published by New River Valley Community Services and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services are misleading or just plain wrong. For example, most of NRVCS's services aren't licensed - including the 401 Peer Center - and there won't be an impartial investigation into your complaint.
As a result, I've detailed the complaint process below in an attempt to remove any confusion about where and how to submit complaints against New River Valley Community Services and similar Community Service Boards authorized by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services funded by taxpayer money.
For other Community Service Boards, you'll need to request your records and submit your complaint differently than what's documented below but the rest should be the same throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
If your rights have been violated by New River Valley Community Services:
Consult with a Civil Litigation attorney from a city outside of the New River Valley. You can find attorneys through the following resources:
Notify news stations (like WSLS) and your elected representatives - be persistent. Be sure to protect your private information. Be aware that there's still stigma around mental illness, ECO's, and TDO's.
Request your records from New River Valley Community Services by emailing:
They can hide some of your records to protect themselves and their staff. Specify that you don't want the individuals involved in your violations, Heather Turman, or Kari Beth James to review the records and ask for the full names of the individuals that reviewed your records.
Go through the Courts ADA office for accomodations if you're disabled. Sometimes they'll even deliver the records to you.
Write a thoroughly documented complaint, including evidence, in PDF format.
This complaint will be your biggest tool. Write it so that you can submit it to as many organizations as you need to. It should be rich with facts and evidence to support your claims. If anyone has any questions, you should be able to direct them to your complaint for the answers. If anyone tries to argue against your complaint, you should be able to direct them to the evidence in your complaint for proof.
Submit your complaint to New River Valley Community Services:
Ashley Wilson NRVCS Human Rights Advocate AAWilson@nrvcs.org Ashley Wilson will lie to you and dismiss you.
Chris Taylor NRVCS Executive Director CTaylor@nrvcs.org Chris Taylor will dismiss you.
Ashley will deny any wrongdoing to avoid liability for New River Valley Community Services.
She will discriminate against you, gaslight you, lie to you, dismiss you, talk down to you, and blame you for being the victim.
She will avoid complying with your requests as much as possible. Get everything from Ashley in writing and avoid phone calls with her.
You may have to send multiple emails to get a response to a single question.
Jennifer Kovack Associate Director for Community Operations, Office of Human Rights Jennifer.Kovack@dbhds.virginia.gov Jennifer Kovack will dismiss you.
The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services will only respond after NRVCS has provided a response and they'll ask NRVCS to provide a second response following an investigation... by NRVCS - again.
They didn't take me seriously or provide me with a response until I announced that I was going public with my experiences. They will lie to you. They will dismiss you.
They will avoid all responsibility for the Community Service Boards that they're responsible for.
Petition for a hearing with the Roanoke Catawba Local Human Rights Committee through the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
You specifically have to say "I want to petition for a hearing with the LHRC" or they'll mislead you by providing the address for the LHRC and tell you that you have to mail in your complaint.
The LHRC won't return any phone calls. There are bad actors in the Roanoke Catawba LHRC. Watch for micro-expressions on the faces of the LHRC facilitator and anyone "seconding" their motions during the hearing.
Document any unusual behaviors by the LHRC members, like smirks and other body language, and request an appeal if the first hearing isn't in your favor.
If applicable, submit complaints against Human Rights Advocates.
NRVCS will claim that the magistrates office is responsible for the submission of form DC-4001 by NRVCS staff members. The magistrates office has stated that they're not responsible for submissions of form DC-4001 by NRVCS and it's the responsibility of the New River Valley Community Services licensed staff member signing form DC-4001 under penalty of perjury and as "a responsible party." Form DC-4001 is commonly signed by New River Valley Community Services Director Kari Beth James or NRVCS Crisis Intake Program Director Heather Turman with insufficient evidence and misleading information.
You should submit your complaint for investigation to the VA DHP if anyone involved in the violation of your rights has a license number associated with their name. You'll need to submit a complaint for each individual.
You have rights as a US citizen. The state is not allowed to seize you from your home without valid evidence or due process. The state is not allowed to retaliate to complaints or punish you for exercising your first amendment rights.
Never give up.
Remember, throughout this entire process we're forced to ask the State to investigate the State.
The left hand will never discipline the right hand.
Get everything in writing and avoid phone calls that you can't record.
They will lie to you. They will gaslight you. They will stonewall you.
You have to keep pressing them with the facts.
You can do this.
Stay calm and stay strong.
Keep fighting.
This website exists because you're not alone.
The New River Valley Community Support Network is an independent website run by volunteers experienced in the process of submitting complaints against New River Valley Community Services.
This site is a work in progress. Please check back in the future for updates.
We are not affiliated with the taxpayer funded Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Community Service Board, New River Valley Community Services (aka NRVCS), in Radford, Virginia.
This is not legal advice.