A rural North Carolina Court system is receiving national recognition for a special court for parents suffering addiction. The 8th Judicial District's Family Accountability and Recovery Court, covering Wayne, Green, and Lenoir Counties, received the National Leadership award from the National Association of Drug Court Professionals last week. Judge Beth Heath was in Houston to receive the award at the organization's annual conference.
"We have been able to do a lot with smaller resources, with like where we are in rural Eastern North Carolina, and we're not just focused on the court," she told PRE at the Lenoir County Courthouse. "We're the whole big picture."
The court is one of just a handful in the state that offers treatment to parents who are at risk of losing their children due to addiction or substance use. The court assists parents who've entered legal proceedings by connecting them to addiction treatment centers, building vocational skills, and improving parenting skills. It's the only court for such matters in Eastern North Carolina.
