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Helene Recovery and Addiction, How Treatment Centers Keep Clients Connected

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Helene Recovery and Addiction, How Treatment Centers Keep Clients Connected

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ASHEVILLE — Michael Roberts knows the recovery process. And so, the day after Tropical Storm Helene left her home on Haywood Road and went to work, helping her neighbors clear fallen trees from the neighborhood.

In the midst of cleaning, he noticed the need for another kind of recovery.

“I saw people walking down the street going through withdrawals,” Roberts said. “Or they were on substances. I know the feeling. When I got high, there was no barrier to get that need. In my mind, my body needed it to survive.”

After undergoing 26 treatments for substance abuse, the Asheville native has been sober for nine years. He now serves as director of outreach for Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, or APNC, and said efforts to keep the centers open in Asheville began right after the storm so people in recovery could still get resources. APNC serves as the state anchor for treatment and recovery resources.

The initial storm caused many treatment centers to lose current and potential recovery clients.

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Used to serve 70 to 80 clients at any given time, the Asheville Recovery Center is now operating at less than half that capacity. The center said perhaps 25 to 30 new clients lost their services because of Helene.

“At first there was no way to document or find out where they were or if they were safe,” said CEO Nathan Hedrick. “But on the third day our recovery community here really came together. We thank APNC, and it was our staff here that really made sure we had outside resources, power, water and Wi-Fi.”

There is some sense of normalcy for clients and staff with the day-to-day operations of treatment recovery, which is what APNC CEO Sara Howe said her organization wanted to see happen at WNC.

“Trauma is a high indicator of a substance use disorder,” Howe said. “So this disaster adds to the trauma that could lead someone to addiction recovery. You lose connection with clients in recovery in these types of disaster situations, so it was important for us to bring resources as as soon as possible.”

Initially with 60 pallets of water, APNC also distributed first aid kits and solar powered mobile phone chargers. They then sent boxes of safe medications for people struggling with drug addiction, such as Narcan and Naloxone. Daily emails were sent after the storm to keep partners informed of where customers could get help.

Treatment Center Locations in Asheville

  • Asheville Recovery Center, Location: 9 Old Burnsville Hill Rd #7
  • Katharos Sanctuary, Location: 370 N Louisiana Avenue
  • Asheville Detox Center, Location: 25 Choctaw Street
  • Carolina Recovery Solutions, Location: 701 Brevard Road
  • Otterhouse Wellness, Location: 40 North French Broad Avenue
  • Oasis Recovery Center, Location: 191 Charlotte Street
  • Crestview Recovery Center, Location: 90 Asheland Avenue
  • October Road Medicaid Asheville Addiction Treatment Center, Location: 119 Tunnel Road #D
  • Next Step Recovery Location: 900 Hendersonville Road #203
  • Women’s Recovery Center – Insight Human Services, Location: 723 Fairview Road
  • Beyond Addiction, location: 70 Woodfin Place 105 A
  • Rise Recovery Asheville can be reached by phone at (828) 484–6659 or by email: [email protected]
  • Ritual Recovery – Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Asheville, Location: 100 Victoria Road
  • Middle River Asheville – Sober Living, Halfway House, Location: 256 A Clayton Avenue
  • The Willows at Red Oak Recovery, Location: 108 Executive Park

“Reconnection is the opposite of addiction,” said Michael Roberts. “I’ve been out on the street handing out Narcan and water bottles. I tell people all the time that what helped me was love and compassion. That’s the cure.”

Jade Jackson is an IndyStar public safety reporter assisting The Citizen-Times, Asheville with coverage of Hurricane Helene with the USA Today Network. Contact her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar. Follow her on Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.

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