Expert Insights
Talk about a mom on a mission. Leah Wright is a first grade teacher who found out the hard way it’s not as easy as people think it is to find treatment for a loved one struggling with opioid addiction. So Leah decided to do something about it: she raised the money to open a high school in Wake County designed specifically for students overcoming addiction.
According to Leah, when she was trying to find treatment for her teenage son’s addiction, she quickly realized there weren’t enough resources for adolescents. She was turned away from every rehab she called due to the fact they didn’t accept patients under the age of 18.
She partnered with Addiction Professionals of North Carolina to open a recovery high school in Raleigh. The school provides an accredited education course, as well as substance abuse treatment and certified drug counselors. Recovery schools are designed to be part of a step-down program for teens in recovery after completing a 30-day inpatient addiction treatment program. Wake Monarch Academy opened in 2020.
~ Nikki Seay
Are There Low-Cost and Free Drug Rehab Centers in Raleigh?
Because Wake County wants everyone to have access to substance abuse treatment, they provide free options to those who cannot afford treatment when they seek it. The Wake County Mental Health Department supports a recovery-oriented system of care (ROSC) that certifies local agencies to provide much-needed mental health and substance abuse treatment services to you at low or free cost.
The county government receives funding from state and federal resources and then dispenses the funds to local agencies to provide services to anyone in need of help. Programs that can help pay for addiction treatment in Raleigh include:
- Medication Assistance Programs help you get prescriptions
- Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities (TASC) for incarcerated persons
- Community-based Residential Treatment Services for offenders
- Prison-based Services
- Child and Family Mental Health Services
- Telepsychiatry
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Centers (ADATC)
- Veteran treatment centers for military
Contacting the Wake County Department of Mental Health is a great place to learn more about the programs and how to find the right free or low-cost drug rehab in Raleigh. They can also help you apply for Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance through the Affordable Care Act, which can help you reduce the cost of drug rehab in Raleigh.
Resources
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). Mental Health and Substance Abuse.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. (2022). The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA).
- National Commission on Quality Assurance. (2022). NCQA Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2019-2020-Summary Report (Private/Commercial).
- U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2022). Mental Health and Substance Abuse Coverage.
