Surry County Credential Report: Introduction and Summary with SCOSAR Data (2026)

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The Surry County Credential Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the credentialed substance use professional workforce in Surry County, North Carolina, benchmarking local data against statewide and regional trends. This report, prepared from the NC Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board credential database as of February 2026, examines the distribution, status, and types of professional substance use credentials held by professionals in Surry County. It also compares Surry’s workforce to neighboring and demographically similar counties, highlighting both strengths and critical gaps. To contextualize these findings, the report integrates recent SCOSAR (Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery) data, which offers insight into local prevention, intervention, and recovery efforts, as well as community needs and outcomes.

• As of February 2026, North Carolina had 10,754 credentialed substance use professionals registered with the NCASPPB, spanning five credential types: clinical treatment, supervision, prevention, and criminal justice specialization.
  

• The workforce is dominated by the LCAS (Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist) pathway, while specialty credentials such as CPS (Certified Prevention Specialist) and CCJP (Certified Criminal Justice Professional) represent a very small fraction, indicating systemic gaps in these areas statewide.
  

• Surry County ranks 38th out of 100 NC counties for total credential count, leading all contiguous neighbors and demonstrating strong workforce density relative to its size and context.
  

• Surry’s credentialed workforce is more balanced between LCAS (27) and CADC (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, 26) than the statewide 2:1 LCAS-to-CADC ratio.
  

• The county has 10 CCS (Clinical Supervisor) credentials, providing meaningful supervisory capacity for the region.
  

• However, Surry has only 1 CPS and 1 CCJP credential, mirroring a statewide shortage in prevention and criminal justice specialties.
  

• Neighboring Rockingham County, despite a larger population (~91,000), has significantly fewer credentials (42), underscoring Surry’s relative strength.
  

• 55% of Surry’s credential holders (36 of 65) are fully certified, with 18 in Registered status and 10 in Associate/Intern status, indicating an active pipeline of professionals in training and transition.