17234734

A mobile clinic is expanding access to opioid addiction treatment in Wake County, addressing transportation barriers that hinder recovery efforts.

Peevey, who began using opioids around 2012 and experienced periods of incarceration, embarked on her path to sobriety in 2019 at the Morse Clinic in north Raleigh. Her journey, marked by important challenges, has led her to participate in the first lady’s addiction treatment panel.

“To be a part of the solution and to be able to share my experience with people who may not know that this is what success disorder looks like. It just is. And we get to be a part of the solution and have a voice. It’s pretty amazing,” Peevey stated.

The availability of opioid treatment medications, such as methadone and buprenorphine, is crucial for recovery, according to Peevey. Morse Clinic is working to improve access to these medications through its new mobile clinic in Wake County.

“We’re pretty much able to make sure that people aren’t paying for treatment anymore. It’s free. But transportation is now the No. 1 barrier to get in getting into treatment,” Morse explained.

Morse has operated traditional opioid treatment facilities in the Triangle since 2010, aiming to provide accessible medication in a stigma-free surroundings with supervised dosing. This month, he launched his first mobile clinic at Healing Transitions in Raleigh, with plans for a second clinic to serve Granville and Franklin counties this fall. Morse noted a significant change in public discourse surrounding addiction treatment compared to 15 years ago.

“We were kind of working in the shadows. We were in silos. And now partly because it is an epidemic, we’ve been brought to light,” he commented.