The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is expanding services at the Walter B. Jones Center to include outpatient opioid treatment for residents of eastern North Carolina.
The Outpatient Opioid Treatment Program provides outpatient treatment for adults with opioid use disorder and offers Medication Assisted Treatment, which helps ease the symptoms of withdrawal. Outpatient treatment provides step-down levels of care and is proven to help those with substance use disorder overcome opioid and heroin drug addiction.
“Substance use disorder is a disease that is wreaking havoc on too many North Carolinians and their families,” said Kody H. Kinsley, DHHS Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. “It is imperative that we provide a continuum of treatment options to support people living healthy, productive lives.”
This will be the first outpatient service line for the DHHS Alcohol and drug Abuse Treatment Centers, with the R.J. Blackley Center in Butner and the Julian F. Keith Center in Black Mountain to open outpatient treatment services at a later date.
“After serving individuals and families in eastern North Carolina for 50 years as an inpatient treatment center for substance use and mental health disorders, the Walter B. Jones Center staff are proud to expand into outpatient services to help address the effects of the opioid epidemic that hits so close to home,” said Ben Gregory, Walter B. Jones Center Director and CEO.
Connecting people to care along with prevention and reducing harm are the foundations of the state’s NC Opioid Action Plan 2.0. Launched in 2019, the 2.0 plan outlines strategies to respond to the state’s opioid epidemic. Priority strategies to connect people to care include expanding treatment capacity and improving treatment quality, increasing linkages to treatment and recovery supports, and increasing coverage of treatment, including expanding Medicaid. Access to treatment for opioid use disorder increased and opioid overdose deaths decreased in states that expanded Medicaid.
Since opening in 1969, the center has provided care and treatment for substance use disorders to about 56,000 North Carolinians across 38 eastern counties. Admission to the center is available to any adult, regardless of financial resources or insurance status.
Individuals pay on a sliding fee scale according to their income. Adults can see if they qualify for opioid treatment program services through a scheduled appointment with a licensed clinician by calling (252) 707-5208 or by walking in for an assessment, Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–noon.
Private providers can make referrals directly to the center or through their Local Management Entities – Managed Care Organizations (LME-MCOs). To learn which LME-MCO serves your county, visit https://www.ncdhhs.gov/providers/lme-mco-directory.
The Walter B. Jones Center and the Outpatient Opioid Treatment Program are at 2577 West Fifth St., Greenville. For more information about the facility, visit www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/dsohf/walter-b-jones.