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Addiction professionals, lawmakers announce NC treatment connection campaign

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — There is a new campaign to help those battling addiction receive proper care. Wednesday, Addiction Professionals of North Carolina (APNC) and several state lawmakers announced the launch of NC Treatment Connection. The new campaign is developed from the passage of the Stop Addiction Fraud Ethics Act, also known as the S.A.F.E Act of 2023. 'That made patient brokering a Class G felony, it made it illegal; however, not everybody knows what I mean when I say patient brokering and that's the point of this campaign,' said Sara Howe, CEO of APNC Howe says patient brokering occurs more often than you think and that's why this law was passed. 'What will happen is that bad actors will show up at an AA meeting, an NA meeting, they will befriend somebody and then they will help them to relapse, and then provide them what they believe is a treatment center that they will send them to,' said Howe. 'Often the patient broker will get a kickback for that, they will get a bounty for that person, but the treatment center isn't a good quality, ethical treatment center.' She and others say this new campaign will help those facing addiction find trusted resources. 'Substance abuse disorders are a crisis. It claims the lives of 12 North Carolinians every day,' said Rep. Timothy Reeder. 'It costs $6.8 billion annually with healthcare costs, and this impact is the cost but the devastation on the families is really what we worry about.' APNC Outreach Director, Michael Roberts says a campaign like this is needed. He's been sober for nine years. 'I'm alive because there's programs that exist to help people like me, programs that didn't pay me to relapse,' said Roberts. 'We're making people know so that when someone reached out for help they get the right kind.' You can find more information on the NC Treatment Connection here Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.