Drug treatment center in Union County moves to be more accessible

MONROE, N.C. — For 20 years, help in Union County for opioid addiction started at the McCleod Centers for Wellbeing on U.S. Highway 74 in Monroe.

“Many services are treatment for individuals with an opioid addiction, and that treatment includes medications like methadone and buprenorphine,” said Logan Adams, the medical director.

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They serve about 200 patients.

In February, the city of Monroe approved the centers’ request to move its current operations directly across the street from Atrium Health Union.

In a letter to the council, Atrium Health said, “This program will address a critical gap in services and offer life-changing care to those who need it most.”

“A lot of times, our patients will be seen in the emergency department after maybe an overdose or in opioid withdrawal,” Adams said. “And so being able to be that close to the emergency department, they can refer patients directly across the street to us to continue and manage their care.”

Around 70 people in Union County went there last year after an opioid overdose, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Adams said it is why efforts like this save lives.

He said the drugs they administer stabilize a patient’s withdrawal symptoms and have helped reduce the risk of an overdose by 50%.

“We’ve seen those overdose deaths drop this year, which is very exciting, and I’m hopeful that we can continue that with the efforts that we’re doing,” Adams said.

Adams said current patients shouldn’t expect changes to their treatment plan during the transition.

The current building won’t close until the new one opens around August.

Officials at the McLeod Centers for Wellbeing said they are the only nonprofit medication-assisted treatment provider in Union and Anson counties that offers two specific drugs to treat an opioid use disorder.

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