A new facility in Morristown opened by the Helen Ross McNabb Center has helped shorten the wait list for in-patient treatment from thousands of people to hundreds.
Sixteen new beds opened in Morristown in September offering 90-day rehabilitation treatment for opioid addiction.
People wanting to get into residential treatment often had to wait more than six months to be admitted. Now, the wait can be less than two weeks.
"More and more often recently, we're able to serve people at the time they call within a few days, or in some cases a few hours, of their request," said Hilde Phipps of the Helen Ross McNabb Center.
Increased state and federal funding allocated to the region have helped the Helen Ross McNabb Center fund more programs and help shorten the wait time for treatment.
At the Morristown facility, people spend at least 90 days in treatment.
The center is monitored 24 hours a day and the patients live by a rigid schedule. Patients are up in the morning before sunrise, have classes and activities all day, and live in small rooms with little distractions.
"The individuals who are here are here to work on themselves, work on treatment," Phipps said.
All 16 beds filled up almost immediately when the facility opened in September.