Lewis County social worker and counselor’s credentials revoked by the state due to 2023 drug convictions

By Emily Fitzgerald  / emily@chronline.com
Posted 1/15/25

The Washington state Secretary of Health has suspended the credentials of a social worker and agency-affiliated counselor in Lewis County who was convicted in December 2023 for possession of meth …

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Lewis County social worker and counselor’s credentials revoked by the state due to 2023 drug convictions

Posted

The Washington state Secretary of Health has suspended the credentials of a social worker and agency-affiliated counselor in Lewis County who was convicted in December 2023 for possession of meth with intent to deliver and unlawful use of a building for drug purposes.

James Alan Ghere, 60, was convicted Dec. 27, 2023, on one count each of possession of meth with intent to deliver and unlawful use of a building for drug purposes for allegedly selling drugs in 2021, according to Washington state Department of Health records.

The state Secretary of Health alleged Sept. 9, 2024, that those convictions qualify as unprofessional conduct.

“The Agency Affiliated Counselor Program and Licensed Social Worker Program served Ghere with legal documents in September 2024 and he did not respond by the required deadline,” the state Department of Health said in a news release. His credentials were formally revoked in November 2024, according to the news release.

Ghere was arrested for allegedly selling drugs in 2021 and was out on bail when the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) executed a search warrant on his home in the 3100 block of Zenkner Valley Road on Nov. 21, 2023, according to a previous news release from the Centralia Police Department.

Ghere was arrested for new drug-related charges alongside Michael D. Deal, 41, who was arrested for felony-level controlled substance and firearm offenses.



Ghere and Deal were two of eight suspects arrested as part of JNET’s investigation into a local crime ring, according to the news release. In addition to drugs and firearms, the investigation also revealed evidence of manufacturing bombs and printing counterfeit money.

Ghere’s credentials, which were both issued in 2019, have expired. His counselor credentials expired in January 2020, and his social worker credentials expired in January 2023.

Ghere is not eligible to petition for reinstatement for two years, according to the Department of Health.

The legal documents for this case can be found online via the Facilities Inspections and Investigations Search on the state Department of Health website. Copies can be requested by calling 360-236-4700.

The Department of Health encourages anyone who believes a health care facility acted unprofessionally to call 360-236-2620 to report their complaint. Complaints can also be submitted via email to HSQAcomplaintintake@doh.wa.gov

The Department of Health “protects and promotes public health, safety and welfare in Washington by regulating the competency and quality of health care providers and facilities,” the Department of Health said in a news release. “The agency establishes, monitors, and enforces qualifications for licensing, consistent standards of practice, continuing competency mechanisms, and discipline. Rules, policies and procedures promote the delivery of quality health care to people in Washington.”