ROCKINGHAM — Samaritan Colony celebrated the grand opening of its State Employees Credit Union Women’s Recovery Center on Monday, marking a major expansion of treatment services in Richmond County.
Executive Director Mark Christopher welcomed attendees and thanked organizations that supported the project, including the State Employees Credit Union Foundation, The Cole Foundation, The Community Foundation of Richmond County, The Cannon Foundation and North Carolina Baptist on Mission. First Lady of North Carolina Anna Stein was the keynote speaker.
“I know this day has been a long time coming because this women’s recovery center has been in construction for years,” said Stein. “It’s also been a long time coming because for more than 50 years, Samaritan Colony has been able to serve men, but not women. And I want to thank the visionary people who said, ‘we need to be able to serve women too.’ And they set out on a verdurous journey to make that vision a reality.”
Stein emphasized the need for expanded treatment options for women across the state, noting that resources have historically been more limited compared with services for men.
“As I travel the state, I realize there too often there are fewer resources to serve women with substance use disorders than there are to serve men and we know that the women who this recovery center will serve are valuable members of their families and their communities. They are daughters, sisters, wives and mothers. They are coworkers, employees and business owners.”
“They need the chance to be healthy, to take care of so many other people in their lives,” said Stein. “They need the chance to be healthy to live out their own dreams for themselves.”
“I’m grateful that Samaritan Colony and it’s generous donors saw this need and did what needed to be done to build this beautiful 14-bed facility. I’m also gratified that this important treatment resource is located here in the Sandhills region in Rockingham, North Carolina.”
“The SECU Women’s Recovery Center will provide hope to individuals and families who had previously been without hope,” said Stein.
Drawing from her professional background, Stein pointed to the broader impact of substance use across North Carolina.
“Prior to becoming First Lady, I worked for more than a dozen years at our state department, the North Carolina Division in Public Health. One of my roles there was to serve on the drug overdose prevention team. I also served as a trusted advisor to my husband, then Attorney General, who led the multi-state litigation against opioid manufacturers. It resulted in North Carolina receiving over $1.6 billion dollars in settlement recovery money— money that is going to our counties to find treatment and recovery—counties like Richmond County and treatment centers like Samaritan Colony.”
Stein also spoke about her priorities as First Lady.
“My first priority is to reduce stigma against people with mental health and substance use disorders,” said Stein. “My second is to improve rehabilitation and reentry opportunities for people who are incarcerated or leaving incarceration, particularly in our state prisons.”
Stein also addressed stigma surrounding substance use and incarceration.
“In these visits, I’ve seen parallels between people living with substance use disorders and people living in our prisons. Namely, significant stigma towards both of these populations. Many times, I’ve been approached by people, both at substance use treatment centers and in prisons, men and women, to tell me how much it means to them that I am visiting… they have become accustomed to being treated as less than,” Stein said.
“From National Survey Data, that over 1.2 million North Carolinians have a substance abuse disorder; however, according to that same data, you were within the quarter of the people who need treatment given. And I think stigma is at play here in a couple of years,” said Stein.
She said effective treatment must go beyond sobriety alone.
“It’s also critical that we have treatment programs that look at people’s lives in a holistic manner— recognize the importance of social determinism… Does it support a person’s desire for spiritual connection and meaning in their life? Is all we care about whether the person puts drugs or alcohol in their body or not? Because that shouldn’t be the end goal. It should be about a person living a life they want to live, which includes a lot more than just not using drugs,” said Stein.
Stein also highlighted ongoing statewide efforts to raise awareness and reduce stigma.
“There’s treatment that works. You can take action to support someone with a substance use disorder. Every community can be a place of welcome, hope and healing,” said Stein. “People with substance use disorders are essential threads in the fabric of our communities. These are messages of connection that I wholeheartedly endorse.”
She also emphasized the importance of addressing stigma surrounding medication-assisted treatment.
“There’s a commonly expressed stigma that using these medications to treat opioid abuse disorder is just trading one drug for another, but this view ignores the stark differences in how these medications act in the body versus how illicit opioids act,” Stein said. “These medications can reduce cravings and allow people to go to work and take care of their families. Buprenorphine and methadone are considered by addiction specialists to be the gold standard for treating opioid use disorders.”
“It’s very important for us to combat stigma against these live-saving medications amongst our treatment providers, in the community, in our families and amongst people who are struggling with opioid use disorder,” said Stein.
She closed by reflecting on the long-term impact of the new facility.
“I was really happy to tour and talk to the women that are living here right now before I spoke. Countless people will benefit from the facility because it’s going to have a ripple effect— not just improving the lives of the women who it directly serves, but it will benefit their families, their children, their children’s children…,” said Stein. “Thank you Samaritan Colony for transforming lives for over 50 years and thank you to the Samaritan Colony Board members and to the many foundations, businesses and individuals who saw fit to contribute to the creation of the SECU Women’s Recovery Center. You are saving lives, mending families and building dreams.”
Plans to expand services to women were approved by the Samaritan Colony Board of Directors in 2018. Construction on the facility began in 2022 and was completed in summer 2025. The center received final state licensing approval earlier this year from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and began serving its first residents in February 2026.