Substance Use Disorder and Healthcare

DRNC and the Legal Action Center are working in partnership to protect the right to healthcare and other supportive services for North Carolinians with substance use disorder. Discrimination in healthcare against people with substance use disorder takes many forms.

Protecting the right to healthcare for North Carolinians with substance use disorder

DRNC and the Legal Action Center are working in partnership to protect the right to healthcare and other supportive services for North Carolinians with substance use disorder. Discrimination in healthcare against people with substance use disorder takes many forms:

  • Being treated differently because of their past or present substance use disorder 
  • Denial of admission to a facility because they take medically assisted treatment for substance use disorder
  • Refusing to treat you because of their substance use disorder
sad woman with long hair sits with hands pulled into sleeves, gazing down as psychiatrist explains the treatment plan

Fact sheet – Substance Use Disorders and Access to Healthcare Services 

Disability rights laws have an important role to play in combatting this serious and growing public health crisis in North Carolina. These laws provide people with SUDs equal access to lifesaving medical, rehabilitation, and harm reduction services.  View our Substance Use Disorders and Access to Healthcare fact sheet, which explains the legal rights people with SUD have to protect themselves against discrimination in healthcare settings.

Printable resources

share your story

Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) is asking for stories of people who use substances who have been treated differently by a healthcare facility/provider because of their past or current substance use. These stories can help us fight for appropriate healthcare for people who use substances.

Program staff

Attorney

Sara Harrington joined the DRNC team in March of 2023. She will spearhead DRNC’s new initiative to address discrimination against persons with substance use disorders in healthcare settings. Before coming to DRNC, Sara spent muc…

Advocate

Dane Mullis joined the team in March 2023 as an advocate for people with substance use disabilities. His work focuses on community access to resources as well as the criminal legal system. Prior to joining the DRNC team, Dane worked as a cert…

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