Colleen and Rich Balot recognized a significant need for quality addiction treatment in Eastern North Carolina. They were motivated to create a safe-haven treatment center that would be unique to the area. The project was deeply personal to the couple; they were driven by a desire to provide this valuable resource to people in need in their community. They identified a beautiful parcel of land in Grimesland, NC that was available, investigated and assessed the property, and proceeded to purchase it. The newly founded Haven at Blue Creek project commenced in (month) of 2019.

As the Balots proceeded to turn their vision into a reality, they discovered there were roadblocks at the state legislature level in the form of licensure restrictions for substance use disorder treatment facilities.  The Balots were undaunted; they lobbied North Carolina Governor Cooper, who supported amending the 2021 State Medical Facilities Plan to remedy its shortcomings. With the amendment passed, the project could acquire the necessary behavioral health bed licenses for the eastern region of North Carolina.  Additionally, North Carolina is a “Certificate of Need'' state for healthcare, which assures the right numbers of licenses and services are in place for regions of the state. So the Balots assembled a team to demonstrate the need for substance use disorder treatment in Eastern North Carolina and submit the necessary application for Haven at Blue Creek.