Healing Transitions Statement

May 1, 2019

On March 29, 2019, Delaney at MCD, LLC*, and Lower Cape Fear Hospice, Inc., filed a joint Petition for Writ of Certiorari and Motion to Stay (“Petition”) in North Carolina Superior Court, New Hanover County, regarding the proposed Healing Place facility in Wilmington, North Carolina. On April 18, 2019, several local media outlets published articles about the legal action. These articles, as well as the underlying Petition, contain factual inaccuracies that are damaging to the reputation and standing of Healing Transitions in Raleigh, North Carolina, that must be addressed immediately.

There are several inaccuracies we would like to correct.

Correction 1: The stated number of arrests in 2018 at Healing Transitions’ men’s campus is incorrect, misleading and damaging to the reputation and standing of Healing Transitions in the community.

The Petition states in Paragraph 28 and in the accompanying Exhibit C to the Petition that in 2018, the Raleigh men’s campus of Healing Transitions had 172 arrests. This statement is based on Mr. Chris Bunch’s testimony as reflected in the February 5, 2019 minutes from the Wilmington City Council meeting. Mr. Bunch is the Operating Officer of Wilmington Health Associates, the owner and operator of the medical facility adjacent to the proposed location for the Healing Place in Wilmington. The misinformation circulated by Mr. Bunch has been repeated and modified by Wilmington media outlets, as reflected in the report in the Port City Daily that there were “nearly 200 arrests” at Healing Transitions Men’s Campus in 2018. The statement confuses arrests with charges, the address where the arrest/charges occurred and also fails to recognize that many of the arrests/charges occurred before residence at Healing Transitions.

The correct arrest figures for 2018, as reported by the Raleigh Police Department and the City-County Bureau of Identification (CCBI), are as follows:

  • In 2018, the actual number of arrests at the men’s campus of Healing Transitions was 16 instead of the 172 erroneously reported by the Petition and reflected by the subsequent media articles.
  • Of the 16 arrests that occurred in 2018, only 2 arrests were the result of an incident that occurred on the men’s campus. The other arrests were the results of charges that occurred before the individual resided at Healing Transitions.

Correction 2: Trillium Health Resources (“Trillium”) does not operate Healing Transitions in Raleigh. Due to the lack of long-term residential services in its 26-county service area, Trillium contracts with Healing Transitions to utilize 26 beds at the Men’s Campus and 8 beds at the Women’s Campus. Trillium does not operate Healing Transitions. As part of its due diligence process for the proposed Wilmington site, Trillium invited Healing Transitions in Raleigh to share information about its program model to stakeholders in the Wilmington community. However, at no point in time was Healing Transitions contacted directly or interviewed as part of the media reports or the Petition that was filed. Instead, the articles inaccurately detail security protocols, the “open door policy” and “peer security” at Healing Transitions.

* On April 26, 2019, Delaney at MD, LLC filed a notice of voluntary dismissal and has left the petition. Lower Cape Fear Hospice, Inc. remains the sole plaintiff in the case.
Just as openness and transparency is a key to long-term sustained recovery, those principles also guide our programming and communications. At Healing Transitions, we’ve created a culture of respect, accountability and ownership, and we are proud of our program and the lives we’ve been able to impact as a result.

We seek to support addiction recovery resources in every community in North Carolina, and we believe the citizens of our state deserve those services.

Healing Transitions is a non-profit organization that provides free, life-saving recovery services to more than 300 homeless, uninsured and underserved individuals in Wake County every day. Our innovative, peer-run program is always open to those who need assistance, and we never turn anyone anyway. For more information, visit www.healing-transitions.org.

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* On April 26, 2019, Delaney at MD, LLC filed a notice of voluntary dismissal and has left the petition. Lower Cape Fear Hospice, Inc. remains the sole plaintiff in the case.