NC STAR Network Expands Addiction Treatment in Rural Areas

In North Carolina, the NC STAR Network is working to broaden access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) through a “hub-and-spoke” model. Three academic hubs.

UNC Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, and the Mountain Area Health Education Center, partner with healthcare practices across the state to train and support primary care providers in administering MOUD. This approach aims to integrate addiction medicine into standard primary care, increasing trust and reducing stigma for patients.

The network, funded in part by a $50 billion federal program, emphasizes bidirectional communication between hubs and community practices to tailor treatment to local needs. Currently reaching 88 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, the hubs treated 1,400 patients directly while spoke sites served over 4,000 from July 2024 to June 2025.

Network leaders believe that treating addiction within existing primary care relationships improves patient retention and satisfaction. They hope the NC STAR Network will serve as a model for other states seeking to improve rural healthcare systems and address the ongoing opioid crisis.