Mount Laurel-based Pinnacle Treatment Centers on Wednesday said it acquired Stepping Stone of North Carolina.
Founded in 2010, Stepping Stone is a private, outpatient opioid addiction treatment program with two locations — 643-L Greenway Road in Boone and 527 W. Park Circle in North Wilkesboro. Together, the centers serve more than 400 patients daily.
Pinnacle has been operating treatment programs in eight states, and now nine with its entry into North Carolina.
The acquisition augments Pinnacle’s reach in treating those suffering from opioid use disorder and advances its mission of making recovery possible for anyone who needs it.
“Stepping Stone is a wonderful organization with passionate, dedicated staff that have a strong track record of providing effective treatment rooted in evidence-based care,” Joe Pritchard, CEO of Pinnacle and an individual in addiction recovery for 47 years, stated. “We’re excited to integrate this team and program into our network of care, extend our reach to another state impacted by the opioid crisis and continue restoring lives and communities affected by this devastating illness.”
Through medication-assisted treatment, Stepping Stone provides both medications — in coordination with long-term counseling — in Watuaga and Wilkes counties to help individuals overcome the disease of addiction to opioids and achieve sustained health and wellness.
MAT is considered to be the gold standard of treatment for opioid use disorder, combining the FDA-approved medicines with individual and group counseling as part of a whole-patient approach to care. Methadone and buprenorphine curb withdrawal symptoms from heroin and opioid addiction; prevent relapse; and quell the physical discomfort that frequently accompanies recovery from opioid abuse.
Pinnacle will keep the Stepping Stone name in North Carolina, where it is well-known in the communities Stepping Stone has been serving.
