The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house for the new Cumberland-Fayetteville Opioid Response Team (C-FORT) Recovery Resource Center Monday, Oct. 28. The C-FORT Recovery Resource Center is located at 707 Executive Place, Fayetteville.

The aim of the C-FORT Recovery Resource Center is to create a resource hub for individuals impacted by substance use and seeking recovery support services. The Recovery Center will offer peer support and harm reduction services, recovery groups and a range of classes and events supported by community partners. The Center is supported by community partners and made possible with Opioid Settlement Funds.

The Center serves individuals, family, friends and loved ones at any stage of their recovery journey.

The C-FORT Recovery Resource Center will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Center will provide late hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

Individuals can call 910-321-6487 to schedule an appointment with a peer support specialist. The Center is open for walk-in appointments during business hours. A full calendar of classes, groups and services is available on the Department of Public Health events calendar.

“C-FORT is dedicated to improving the opioid crisis response in Cumberland County through a collaborative effort between community stakeholders and local government,” said Greg Berry, Coordinator of C-FORT, in a press release. “We are committed to identifying strategies that will create and improve a sustainable community response to the opioid crisis for years to come.”

In February 2023, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved the use of $650,000 of Opioid Settlement Funds over three years to support the C-FORT Recovery Resource Center.

“The Opioid Settlement Funds provide an important opportunity to invest in the individuals and families in our community that have been impacted by the opioid epidemic,” said Glenn Adams, Chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, in a press release. “After soliciting input from community stakeholders and citizens, the Commissioners listened and provided this Center to our community. The Recovery Resource Center will provide a centralized location for individuals to get the support they need to be successful in their recovery.”  

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced a series of historic national opioid settlements totaling $56 billion aiming to bring desperately needed help to communities. The state of North Carolina and all 100 counties joined the settlements to aid in combating the opioid crisis on a local level. Cumberland County Government is estimated to receive $1,613,831.42 over an 18-year period.

Cumberland County residents can learn more about projects being supported by settlement funds and opioid response in the county by attending a C-FORT meeting in person or online on the third Tuesday of each month from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the boardroom at the Cumberland County Department of Public Health, located at 1235 Ramsey Street in Fayetteville. Contact Sanquis Graham at sgraham@cumberlandcountync.gov to receive the web meeting link.