Lawmakers, advocates launch initiative targeting predatory practices in addiction treatment
North Carolina is launching a statewide campaign to combat predatory practices in addiction treatment to help people struggling with substance use disorders find evidence-based treatment facilities.
The 'North Carolina Treatment Connection' initiative is a joint effort between Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, the state legislature, the Department of Human Services and 700 treatment providers to address exploitation in the industry.
'We are creating a trusted resource to connect individuals to ethical, effective treatment providers in their communities,' said Sarah Howe, CEO of APNC.
The campaign aims to address issues of misinformation and exploitation that have long plagued the addiction treatment industry. It comes on the heels of the state's 2023 enactment of the SAFE Act, which targeted patient brokering and other deceptive practices. Patient brokering is the illegal practice of paying or receiving kickbacks for referring patients to addiction treatment facilities.
'Bad actors are taking advantage of people when they're at their lowest, and we can't allow that anymore,' said Sen. Jim Burgin (R-Harnett, Lee, Sampson) a primary sponsor of the SAFE Act, during a press conference Wednesday morning.
Michael Roberts, who is in long-term recovery, described being steered to fraudulent clinics: 'Patient brokering nearly cost me my life. It's a form of human trafficking.'
While the 2023 SAFE Act made patient brokering a Class G felony, enforcement of the law remains a challenge. 'We need to make sure that those investigations happen around the state,' said Rep.Timothy Reeder (R- Pitt County). 'We need to make sure that if you see something, you say something.'
It's unclear how widespread patient brokering is. Howe said patient brokers are often 'underground' and 'pop up a little bit like Whack a Mole.' She said her organization has already started working with the state Department of Justice on investigations in areas where they know the illegal practice exists.
Sen. Burgin suggested the state should also look at developing a rating or evaluation system for treatment providers, similar to how North Carolina rates child care facilities, with APNC serving as a 'trusted resource' to help govern and oversee the process.
More than 1.3 million North Carolinians struggle with substance use disorders, with about 4,000 overdose deaths annually. 'This is a turning point,' Howe said. 'We are building a future where no one has to search beyond our own state for quality treatment, where communities are empowered with knowledge and where individuals in recovery have the support they need to reclaim their lives. '
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