A new opioid treatment clinic opening in Asheboro this October will become North Carolina's 100th brick-and-mortar location for medication-based addiction care, a milestone state health officials say arrives alongside sharp, sustained drops in overdose deaths and emergency room visits. The Asheboro Comprehensive Treatment Center, operated by Acadia Healthcare, received federal approval from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on August 19.
According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, once the Randolph County clinic opens, the state will have 100 physical Opioid Treatment Program clinics plus three mobile units, working out to roughly one program for every 109,000 residents spread across 57 counties. Gov. Josh Stein framed the expansion in personal terms, saying in a statement shared by NCDHHS that “adding this 100th Opioid Treatment Program location in North Carolina means expanding access to addiction treatment and bringing people closer to lifesaving care.” He added, “Too many families have been torn apart by addiction. Investing in these services can save lives by giving people the tools they need to achieve recovery.”
Overdose Deaths and ER Visits Both Falling
The Asheboro opening lands as the state's broader numbers keep trending downward. Suspected drug overdose deaths in North Carolina fell more than 23% in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, extending a decline that saw fatal overdoses drop 34% in 2024, the state health agency reports. Emergency department visits tied to drug overdoses also dropped 18% during the first half of 2026 compared with the first half of 2025, per the same NCDHHS release.
Those declines have tracked a rapid buildout of treatment capacity. Between January 2025 and August 2026, the state stood up 11 new brick-and-mortar treatment programs and three mobile units, contributing to a statewide increase of more than 12% in the number of patients receiving medication for opioid use disorder, NCDHHS says. The agency's data also show the state has expanded access to opioid use disorder treatment more broadly and continued distributing naloxone as part of the same push.
Mobile Units Reach Areas Without Fixed Clinics
Physical clinics aren't the only piece of the strategy. North Carolina launched its first mobile Opioid Treatment Program unit in August 2025 in partnership with Morse Clinics, and by early 2026 had added mobile units in Raleigh and Greensboro to bring medication and counseling directly to underserved areas, Hoodline previously reported. That approach was highlighted again in January when NCDHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai marked a year of behavioral health investments tied to the same overdose-reduction goals.
Money from national opioid litigation settlements has underwritten much of this growth. North Carolina state and local governments have secured more than $1.5 billion in total settlement funds, with 85% distributed directly to counties and municipalities under the state's Memorandum of Agreement to fund evidence-based treatment and recovery services, according to the North Carolina Department of Justice. Counties have used that money differently: Wake County recently sought public input on a $67.7 million settlement spending plan, while Johnston County has offered grants up to $200,000 to local groups for addiction treatment and reentry care.
Harm Reduction and Legal Guardrails Evolve Together
Beyond clinical treatment, the state's Syringe Services Programs have also grown their footprint. Data published in May 2026 by the NCDHHS Division of Public Health show 52 registered programs logged 135,553 participant contacts across 77 counties during the 2024-2025 reporting year, a 19% increase in community outreach contacts. NCDHHS material also notes that partnerships supporting incarcerated people help them continue medications for opioid use disorder while behind bars.
At the same time, state law has tightened around controlled substance exposure involving children. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-318.7, enacted through Senate Bill 429 and effective in late 2025, knowingly or recklessly exposing a child under 16 to a controlled substance that results in ingestion is now a felony ranging from Class H to Class B1. Separately, federal prosecutors across North Carolina's three judicial districts partnered with the Mountain Area Health Education Center in 2024 to train healthcare providers on Americans with Disabilities Act protections for people receiving medication for opioid use disorder, guarding against unlawful denials of care.
NCDHHS describes the Asheboro clinic as a facility that will provide evidence-based care for more residents in Randolph County and support what the agency calls progress toward reducing harm and supporting recovery statewide. With the October opening, state officials say the addition rounds out a network now reaching more than half of North Carolina's counties through a mix of fixed clinics and mobile outreach.
