The Dare County Department of Health & Human Services (DCDHHS), in partnership with the Saving Lives Task Force, will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its Mobile Recovery Support Unit on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 4 p.m. at the Dare County Administrative Building, which is located at 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo. The public is invited to attend and refreshments will be served. 

​

The new mobile unit will augment the important harm reduction work being done by the department’s Recovery and Overdose Support Services (ROSS) team. 

​

“This exciting new initiative will help us meet the needs of many more people,” said DCDHHS Health Education & Outreach Manager and Saving Lives Task Force Co-Chair Roxana Ballinger. “It really expands the programming  that ROSS provides and will help us bring services to the people who need them, particularly in the more remote areas of the county.”

​

The Mobile Recovery Support Unit will be staffed by DCDHHS Peer Support Specialists Jesse Ruby and Katy Haslar.The unit will offer syringe services, harm reduction tools, naloxone, fentanyl testing kits, support services, education, treatment resources, and rapid HIV and hepatitis C testing. The vehicle has space for staff to meet one-on-one with individuals, who can request treatment support by contacting staff confidentially. In addition to these harm reduction services, the unit will also provide personal care items and is partnering with the Beach Food Pantry to offer food for those in need. 

​

“Dare County has never had a mobile recovery unit for this purpose,” said Dare County Commissioner and Saving Lives Task Force Co-Chair Wally Overman. “We are excited to be able to bring these much needed services to the residents of Dare County, no matter where they are or what their circumstances are.” 

The Mobile Recovery Support Unit was made possible through the generosity of EasterSeals/ Port Health Services, which has agreed to lease/donate the vehicle to DCDHHS; as well as the Outer Banks Community Foundation, which awarded a $9,000 grant for the mobile unit’s wrap as well as supplies to stock the unit. 

​

For more information on the Mobile Recovery Support Unit or the ribbon cutting ceremony, please contact Roxana Ballinger at 252.475.5619 or Roxana.Ballinger@darenc.gov.