Shifting Cultures,
Saving Lives.

A statewide initiative to expand access to addiction treatment for residents of North Carolina

Mission
NC STAR Network strives for all NC residents to have access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder.
Structure
NC STAR Network is comprised of 3 academic centers located strategically across the state to offer support and connect partner sites across North Carolina. This structure allows easy access to addiction medicine specialists to provide organizational and individual clinician support.
Education
NC STAR academic centers disseminate knowledge via several pathways: quarterly provider forums, didactic trainings, one on one mentoring, group coaching, and partner site assessments.

1,500

Patients received Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) at our academic centers

NCSTAR Network Highlights

Additional Highlights:

Innovated the ATLAS mobile clinic for Robeson County
Hosted a workshop on NC STAR Network at the 55^th American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Annual Conference in Dallas, TX
Presented a poster on mobile clinic services at American Association Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL
Hosted a workshop on mobile clinic services and community engagement at 2024 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting in New York, New York

We work closely with partners across the state of North Carolina

Initially, NC STAR Network worked primarily with federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to expand DEA-X waiver training. With the elimination of the X-waiver via the Consolidation Appropriation Act of 2023, NCSTAR expanded work to any community health center in North Carolina.

Our Partners

What People Are Saying About NCSTAR Network

“Working with NC STAR Network has been a great experience! They have been instrumental in helping us launch our Peer Support Specialist Program here at UNC Nash. Their expertise and
support have been invaluable to us as we seek to provide quality care to an underserved population here in Nash and surrounding counties. We look forward to our continued partnership with NC STAR and better serving our community as a result.”

Holly Dennis, LCSW

Behavioral Health Clinical Supervisor | UNC Health Nash- Emergency Department

“As a Project Manager, working with NCSTAR has allowed me to build relationships with people at community health centers who work with individuals with substance use disorders across my region and the state. By providing organization and coordination, I am able to help our providers connect with community health center providers and staff to expand knowledge on medications for opioid use disorder. I enjoy hearing about the incredible work our partner sites are doing each day to break down barriers and expand access to treatment.”

Olive Wilbur -NC STAR Network Project Manager

MAHEC

“I have found the technical assistance I’ve been able to offer through NCSTAR to be especially meaningful. It is rewarding to know that I am supporting the spread of evidence based practices and helping people and organizations through the same growth process I have experienced.”

Zach White, LCSW, LCAS, CSI

MAHEC

“Training in Eastern part of NC helped me to appreciate the significant need for addiction treatment which motivated me to pursue a career in the field of addiction medicine; Just a
couple years ago I recall struggling to find resources for patients around eastern NC and now, here I am being able to provide evidence based treatment for even high acuity substance use
disorder patients and expand access to care because of my association with NC STAR network. Building statewide connections and being a part of discussions with statewide experts in the
addiction field has made a meaningful impact in patient care and successfully overcome challenges of an early career addiction psychiatrist”

Sravanthi Utpala, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor | ECU