A Mecklenburg County-funded program that started this month in Charlotte's detention center aims to support those trying to overcome substance use. The program is one of the efforts by the county to reduce substance use and overdose deaths in the community.
The Medication Assisted Treatment program includes eight men and four women. A nurse and doctors provide them with drugs like suboxone or methadone daily and typically in the morning. The drugs help reduce withdrawal and cravings. Dr. Stephanie Porter used to be a nurse at the detention before becoming a doctor.
“People would come who had been on methadone, and they wouldn’t have any options,” Porter said. "Unfortunately, what happens sometimes when you've been incarcerated for a long period of time and you get out, people start using again, and that’s when deaths occur.”
The new program, in partnership with the sheriff's office, is a county response to reduce overdoses in the community. In 2024, there were over 270 fatal overdoses in Mecklenburg County. To help reduce the number of deaths, the county also launched an overdose response team that consists of paramedics and counselors. The program started this month and focuses on the team going to places like uptown to support those who may be in danger of overdosing.
One 35-year-old inmate, who WFAE is not naming for legal reasons, has been at the detention center for more than a month. The inmate said they came into the detention center in uptown relying on methadone. The inmate said they had turned to using fentanyl since 2016 to help them overcome personal and abusive relationships. To help them overcome their challenges, the individual said they've relied on methadone. A drug, they said, they're pleased is available in the new program in the detention center.
“A big weight was lifted from my shoulders because I'm also in the substance abuse ... program here, ” the inmate said. "So if I'm having to worry about withdrawals, I can't focus on the substance abuse treatment class.”
In September, Mecklenburg County outlined what it planned to do with the $28.5 million it is expected to receive from settlement money to tackle the opioid crisis. The county held a forum where hundreds of community leaders, including doctors, nurses and those who have overcome substance use, attended at the Charlotte Convention Center to learn about those efforts.
In total, Mecklenburg County is expected to receive close to $75 million over the next 18 years to tackle the opioid crisis, with some of the funds supporting the new detention program.
