If you live near Smith Mountain Lake, in Forest, or off a country road near Thaxton, your version of “the nearest treatment center” has probably been an hour-long drive that nobody could realistically make five times a week. We built Telehealth IOP for the families who have been living with that math.
Roanoke Refuge provides outpatient addiction treatment services to residents of Bedford County, Virginia. Whether you attend in person at our Roanoke facility or participate in Telehealth IOP from your home, we are committed to making evidence-based addiction treatment accessible to Bedford County residents who need it.
Bedford County is one of the larger counties in the region by both geography and population, and the practical reality of distance from Roanoke means Telehealth IOP is often the right fit for clients who would otherwise have no realistic outpatient option.
clinical-based clinical assessment during the admissions intake determines whether in-person IOP, Telehealth IOP, or another level of care is the right fit for each Bedford County client, particularly given the distance many residents are managing. The full treatment approach describes the clinical model.
About Bedford County
Bedford County is a largely rural county located east of Roanoke, bordered by Roanoke and Botetourt Counties to the west and north, Amherst and Appomattox Counties to the northeast, Campbell County to the east, and Franklin County to the south. The county includes:
- The City of Bedford as the county seat.
- The town of Moneta as the gateway to Smith Mountain Lake.
- Forest, the suburban community in the northeastern corner near Lynchburg.
- A mix of rural agricultural communitiesgrowing residential areas.
With a population of approximately 80,300 and a median household income around $77,600, Bedford County is one of the larger counties in Southwest Virginia by population and has significant unmet need for accessible behavioral health services across its broad geography.
The families we hear from in Bedford have usually thought about this for a long time before picking up the phone. The distance to anywhere has been doing the math for them, and most realistic options have been over an hour away. Like communities throughout Southwest Virginia, Bedford County has experienced the full weight of the opioid epidemic, methamphetamine resurgence, and alcohol use disorder that have affected the region.
Communities in Bedford County We Serve
The county is one of the largest in the region, and the drive from one community is not the drive from another. Here is what each looks like from where you sit:
City of Bedford
The county seat in central Bedford County. Approximately 50 to 60 minutes from our Roanoke facility via US-460.
Moneta and the Smith Mountain Lake area
The lake communities along the western shore. Telehealth IOP is often the practical choice for residents farther from the Roanoke corridor.
Forest
The northeastern Bedford County community closest to Lynchburg. Forest residents may also have access to Lynchburg-area resources, but the integrated outpatient model at Roanoke Refuge is available either in person or via Telehealth IOP.
Thaxton and central Bedford County
Rural communities along the central county corridor.
Hardy and southern Bedford County
The communities along the southern county border. Telehealth IOP is often the practical option.
Huddleston and the Smith Mountain Lake western shore
The lake-side communities at the southwestern edge of the county.
Local Resources for Bedford County Residents
The community services board map gets confusing in this county. We see this question a lot, so here is the short version up front.
BRBH serves Roanoke City, Salem, Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke County. Bedford County residents fall under different community services board jurisdictions depending on their specific location in the county. Verify the correct CSB for your address through the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services provider directory.
Centra Lynchburg General Hospital
Lynchburg, Virginia. Inpatient medical and behavioral health services accessible to Bedford County residents, particularly those in the Forest and northeastern Bedford communities.
Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
The state directory at dbhds.virginia.gov identifies the local CSB serving each Bedford County address.
SAMHSA Treatment Locator
findtreatment.gov, searchable by Bedford County zip code for local resources.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for confidential crisis support.
SAMHSA National Helpline
1-800-662-4357 for treatment referral support.
AA and NA meetings in Bedford County
Local meeting finders at aa.org and na.org for current schedules across the City of Bedford, Moneta, Forest, and the surrounding communities.
How Bedford County Residents Reach Roanoke Refuge
Bedford County distances vary significantly by community:
City of Bedford
50 to 60 minutes west into Roanoke via US-460.
Moneta and Smith Mountain Lake
Approximately an hour via Route 122.
Forest
The closer city is Lynchburg rather than Roanoke; the commute to Roanoke can exceed an hour.
We have learned that for most Bedford residents who need PHP, the daily five-day-per-week drive is not a sustainable plan past week two. IOP at three or more days per week is more realistic for some clients, and Telehealth IOP from home is the practical option for many.
The Bedford County Clinical Picture
The Bedford clients we see are often the ones who have been managing it quietly for the longest. Distance has made the option of help feel unrealistic for years. Bedford County residents present with the full range of substance use realities seen across Southwest Virginia, including alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, methamphetamine, and polysubstance use.
The Bedford-specific clinical layer often involves older adults with long-standing alcohol patterns, working-class clients whose family responsibilities make residential treatment impossible, and rural clients for whom Telehealth IOP is the only realistic outpatient option. The integrated dual diagnosis program addresses both the substance use and the underlying co-occurring conditions in the same treatment plan.
Getting to Roanoke Refuge From Bedford County
From Bedford County the drive depends heavily on whether you live in the western part of the county (closer to Roanoke) or the eastern part (closer to Lynchburg). From Bedford itself, the drive is roughly 40 to 50 minutes via US-460 West to I-581 South, then I-81 South to exit 137. From Forest, Moneta, or the Smith Mountain Lake area, the route is US-220 North into Roanoke, then I-581 South — typically 45 to 60 minutes. From western communities like Goodview or Stewartsville the trip can be under 40 minutes via US-460.
Parking is free and on-site. Bedford County clients are a strong fit for our Telehealth IOP given the distance, particularly for the lighter-touch weeks of a treatment plan. The admissions team can help plan a hybrid in-person + telehealth schedule when geography is a barrier to weekly in-person attendance.
Ready when you are.
From Bedford County, the drive to our Salem facility is short. The admissions team is the first call — free, confidential, no clinical commitment. Bring whatever questions you have about insurance, level of care, or what the first week actually looks like. Call (540) 900-0353 when you are ready.