According to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's County Health Rankings, Randolph County has a 900:1 ratio of population to mental health provider, which is higher than NC (340:1).  This ratio includes providers that offer substance use disorder services.  Prior to 2021, the county did not have a licensed opioid treatment program.  The 2022 Randolph County Community Health Assessment reported 12.3% of Randolph County residents under 65 are uninsured.  

Some barriers for people with substance use disorders accessing care include:

• Lack of insurance or inadequate insurance
• Inconsistent transportation
• Limited childcare support
• Stigma
• Hours of services do not align with work schedules

Regulatory changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes telemedicine flexibilities for mental health/substance use disorder services, led to a significant increase in the number of people accessing care.

Behavioral health providers, human service organizations, community based organizations, faith-based organizations, health care providers

Effective strategies increasing access to substance use disorder services include:

• Health policy broadening health insurance coverage.  Health insurance would enable more adults to access mental health and substance use disorder services which may be unaffordable otherwise. 
• Address social determinants of health that affect access.  This may include transportation, childcare, recovery friendly workplace policies. 
• Increasing the number of health care and mental health providers trained to address opioid use disorder will be critical in improving access to care.

To support people with opioid use disorder, community partners are working to reduce barriers to care.  These strategies include:

• Bridging people to evidence-based addiction treatment from various settings including jail, hospital, social services, and community outreach
• Offering reduced costs for evidence-based care