Among 177 adults from Mecklenburg County who completed treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) at Southeastern Recovery Center between July 2025 and May 2026, patients who continued into 60 days of intensive outpatient programming (IOP) after a 30-day partial hospitalization program (PHP) reported better six-month outcomes than those who completed PHP alone. At a six-month follow-up, 89% of the PHP + IOP group reached reported no return to illicit opioid use, compared with 80% of the PHP-only group. Every patient in this sample received buprenorphine (Suboxone) as part of treatment.
All figures below are based on the methodology stated in the next section. The terms used are defined explicitly, and the limits of what these numbers show are stated alongside them.
Patients who were admitted during this period but did not finish their prescribed course of care are not represented in these figures. This matters when reading the numbers: outcomes measured among people who completed a program are higher than outcomes measured across everyone who started one. We report it this way because six-month follow-up was conducted with our completing patients. We’d rather state that limit up front than publish a rate whose basis isn’t clear.
This reflects patient-reported status at a single six-month follow-up checkpoint. Buprenorphine taken as prescribed is not counted as a return to use. Figures are calculated against the number of patients reached at follow-up, not against the full cohort. Follow-up rates are disclosed inline in the tables below.
Urine drug screening was conducted throughout both PHP and IOP. No drug screening was conducted at the six-month follow-up, so the six-month figures on this page are self-reported and not clinically verified.
| Program track | Reached at 6-month follow-up | Reported no return to illicit opioid use | Rate (of those reached) | Follow-up rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-day PHP only | 84 of 103 | 67 | 80% | 82% |
| 30-day PHP + 60-day IOP | 57 of 74 | 51 | 89% | 77% |
Rates are calculated against patients reached at the six-month checkpoint. Follow-up rates are disclosed so readers can see the share of each cohort represented. Status is self-reported, not clinically verified.
Staying on medication is one of the most consistently supported measures in opioid use disorder treatment, so we track it alongside self-reported use.
| Program track | Reached at 6-month follow-up | Still on buprenorphine | Rate (of those reached) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-day PHP only | 84 | 48 | 57% |
| 30-day PHP + 60-day IOP | 57 | 41 | 72% |
Continuation is lower than the self-reported abstinence rate in both groups. Some patients taper off buprenorphine under medical supervision while remaining in recovery, and some discontinue on their own. These figures reflect whether a patient was on the medication at the six-month checkpoint, not whether stopping was clinically advised.
Southeastern Recovery Center is a standalone outpatient facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, offering opioid use disorder treatment for adults across Mecklenburg County and the surrounding area. We’re LegitScript certified, and our programs are built around one belief: every client should feel seen and heard while they’re here.
We’re not a large corporate institution. We’re a family-oriented practice, and we keep our staff-to-patient ratio balanced on purpose, so the people in our care get the attention they deserve rather than getting lost in a system.
Our clinical care is led by Rhett Owensby, our clinical director, who is licensed in both mental health and substance use. Medical oversight for all of our programs is provided by our medical director, Dr. David Stern, who is double board certified in addiction medicine and psychiatry. Dr. Stern earned his degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and has been in practice for over 40 years.
Our partial hospitalization program is our most structured level of outpatient care. Each week, clients take part in individual therapy, group therapy, and a mix of evidence-based and experiential approaches, including:
Buprenorphine, sold under the brand name Suboxone, is part of opioid use disorder & medication assisted treatment at Southeastern Recovery Center, under the oversight of our medical director. Medication reduces withdrawal and cravings so the therapeutic work of treatment becomes possible. For many people it’s the difference between engaging in a program and not being able to.
Being on buprenorphine isn’t a lesser form of recovery, and no one here is asked to choose between medication and treatment. Clients who arrive already stabilized on buprenorphine don’t have to come off it to enter our programs. Decisions about dose, duration, and any eventual taper are clinical ones, made with a prescriber over time. They’re never a condition of staying in care.
Opioid tolerance drops during any period of reduced use, including during treatment. That means a dose someone previously tolerated can be dangerous or fatal if they return to use later. The highest-risk window is in the days and weeks after leaving a program, or after any other period away from opioids.
This is worth stating plainly on a page about outcomes, because it’s the risk those outcomes are measured against. Two things reduce it. One is staying on medication, which is part of why we track buprenorphine continuation as an outcome rather than a footnote. The other is having naloxone (Narcan) on hand. We talk about both with clients before discharge, and we encourage families to carry naloxone and know how to use it. It’s available without a prescription at pharmacies across Mecklenburg County.
If you or someone close to you has returned to use after a period of abstinence, that’s a reason to reach out, not a reason to wait.
Buprenorphine, the active medication in Suboxone, is an FDA-approved treatment for opioid use disorder, and it is well established that it reduces withdrawal, cravings, and the risk of overdose compared with attempting recovery without medication. What we can add is our own experience. Every patient in the outcomes on this page was on buprenorphine. Among those we reached at six months, 80% of patients who completed PHP alone and 89% of patients who completed PHP and IOP reported no return to illicit opioid use, and 57% and 72% respectively were still on the medication. These are self-reported figures from patients who completed treatment, not results from a controlled trial, and they describe our patients rather than a prediction for anyone else. We publish them so anyone asking whether treatment works has a real number to look at.
The main difference is how much structure and time each one involves. PHP (partial hospitalization program) is our most structured level of outpatient care. Clients come in for a full, structured treatment schedule during the day, which makes it a good fit for someone who needs more intensive support early in recovery. IOP (intensive outpatient program) is a step down from that. It meets three nights a week, so clients can keep up with work, school, or family life while staying connected to treatment. A lot of our clients start in PHP and move into IOP as they stabilize, with our aftercare program supporting them as they transition out. Our team helps figure out the right starting point for each person and adjusts as they go.
Yes. Buprenorphine is part of opioid use disorder treatment here, and clients who are already stabilized on it when they arrive don’t have to come off it to enter our programs. Every patient in the outcomes reported on this page was on buprenorphine. Decisions about dose and duration are made clinically with a prescriber, and staying on medication is never treated as a lesser form of recovery.
These outcomes are based on adults with a primary OUD diagnosis from Mecklenburg County who were admitted between July 2025 and May 2026 and completed their prescribed course of care. Patients who did not complete treatment are not included. At six months, we contact patients and record self-reported status; rates are calculated against the patients we reach, and follow-up rates are disclosed alongside every figure. Drug screening is conducted during PHP and IOP but not at the six-month checkpoint, so the six-month figures are self-reported.
No. These figures reflect self-reported outcomes for a specific group of patients who completed treatment over a defined period. They are not a prediction for any individual, and results vary.