Two North Carolina nursing homes will pay $55,000 and change their admission policies after a man was denied care because of his substance use disorder, Disability Rights NC and the Legal Action Center announced Wednesday.
The case, brought on behalf of a North Carolina resident identified only as John Doe, marks what advocates say is the first settlement in the country requiring nursing homes to stop automatically rejecting patients with substance use disorders or recent drug use.
According to the complaint, Sunnybrook Rehabilitation Center in Raleigh and Treyburn Rehabilitation Center in Durham denied the man admission because of his drug use. He had been hospitalized several times between 2023 and 2025 and needed follow-up care, but after being turned away, his health deteriorated and he ended up back in the hospital.
Neither facility immediately responded to a request for comment.
“I just want to be able to get the care that everyone else gets. I want to be treated with dignity,” Doe said in a statement. “I was sick and needed help after being in the hospital, but the nursing homes said no. It was really hard for me, and it didn’t feel fair. I’m very glad this case is settled and that the nursing homes are changing their rules. Now, other people like me won’t have to go through what I did.”
Under the settlement, both facilities must adopt a substance use disorder non-discrimination policy that bars blanket denials of admission based solely on past or present substance use. Instead, they must evaluate each case individually, train staff on non-discrimination laws, and report any denials made under the new policy for one year.
The new policy must cover people currently using illegal drugs and those taking treatment medications like methadone or buprenorphine, although a Disability Rights NC spokesperson clarified that the settlement would not require facilities to allow illegal drug use on their premises.
The facilities must also establish a grievance process for alleged violations and agree to reconsider any future application for admission from the man who was denied care.
“Unfortunately, SUD-based discrimination in healthcare is far too common, and people who use or used drugs frequently do not receive care for serious, sometimes life-threatening, needs,” said Rebekah Joab, Deputy Director of Litigation and Legal Services at the Legal Action Center.
“We applaud Sunnybrook and Treyburn for making important changes to admission policies that will help protect the rights of vulnerable patients with substance use disorder to get the care they need,” Sara Harrington, an attorney at Disability Rights NC said in a statement.
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