ROCKINGHAM —A local treatment facility is scheduled to open its doors to women next month after receiving state approval.
Samaritan Colony announced Jan. 14 that it has received its license from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services for the State Employees Credit Union Women’s Center.
According to a press release, the licensure "confirms the center meets state standards for safety, staffing, and clinical care."
“I am proud of the staff for their dedication in bringing the SECU Women’s Recovery Center from vision to reality,” Board Chair Clint Ray said in a press release. “We also extend deep gratitude to our donors and community partners. This milestone would not have been possible without their support.”
Samaritan Colony has been helping men with addiction since 1975, and plans for the 14-bed facility to treat women with substance use disorder were first announced in 2018.
The 13,000-square-foot facility was designed by local firm Stogner Architecture and ground was broken in 2022.
The State Employees Credit Union helped fund the project with a $40,000 grant in 2019 and a $1 million grant the following year.
Other financial supporters included Sandhills Center LME/MCO, The Cannon Foundation, The Richmond County Community Foundation, The Cole Foundation, The Leon Levine Foundation, The James R. & Bronnie L. Braswell Trust, The Baxter Foundation, the state of North Carolina, Griffin Automotive Group and other private donors, including a grant from Motiva (with help securing the grant from Quality Gas and Oil).
The facility has also received local government support, including $15,000 from the city of Rockingham’s share of funds from the American Rescue Plan. In August, the Richmond County Board of Commissioners approved $75,000 from the opioid settlement funds for treatment at the women’s center.
“This will be a place where women reflect on who they were, choose who they no longer want to be, and begin the work of becoming who they are meant to be,” Executive Director Mark Christopher said in a press release. “Through commitment, accountability, and community, they will grow — discovering the power of being useful to others. That sense of purpose is what sustains recovery.”
Samaritan Colony is expected to start admitting female patients on Feb. 1.
