There’s nothing more heartbreaking than someone finally reaching out for help and finding no one there to catch them. For many people battling addiction, especially in underserved or rural communities, this is the reality they face. No nearby clinics, long wait times, confusing systems, or care that feels cold and judgmental.
Without the right support at the right time, their path to recovery becomes harder, sometimes impossible, leading to continued suffering, broken families, and lives lost too soon. This is where healthcare entrepreneurs make a powerful impact. They step into the gaps the system leaves behind, creating care that’s accessible and deeply human. Through tools like Medication-Assisted Treatment, therapy, telehealth, and personalized support, they offer real hope and real solutions.
Their work isn’t just about medicine; it’s about leadership, trust, and compassion. They build teams, improve systems, and most importantly, help people feel seen, supported, and capable of healing. Because recovery isn’t just about getting clean; it’s about getting your life back.
Trent Carter, Founder and CEO of Renew Health, is one such healthcare entrepreneur who’s making this kind of change possible every day. As a family nurse practitioner with firsthand experience of the system’s shortcomings, he’s built a recovery network that puts people first—meeting them where they are, physically and emotionally.
Taking on everything from direct patient care to developing clinical protocols and leading organizational growth, Trent Carter has guided Renew Health from a single clinic to a statewide model that blends telehealth and in-person support. His proprietary Suboxone transition protocol has become a cornerstone of Renew Health’s success, dramatically improving patient outcomes and retention.
By combining innovation with empathy, and strategy with service, he has created a care model that’s scalable and rooted in dignity. His leadership has earned widespread recognition, but more importantly, it’s helped thousands begin their recovery journeys with the respect and support they deserve. Carter’s story is a testament to how purpose-driven leadership can reshape lives and systems for the better.
Personal Frustration Sparked a Mission-Driven Healthcare Venture
Renew Health was born from Trent Carter’s strong belief and frustration as a nurse practitioner. He often saw patients struggling with addiction fall through the cracks of a complex and hard-to-reach healthcare system. While in school, he learned about Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) using Suboxone and realized it could offer real hope to people fighting addiction.
But many people, especially in rural areas, couldn’t get this kind of care. That’s what pushed him to start Renew Health, with a clear mission: to provide addiction treatment that is easy to access, caring, and truly effective.
Early on, Trent Carter made the difficult choice to leave a stable job and fully commit to building Renew Health, even while supporting a young family and facing financial uncertainty. He navigated challenges like staffing issues, shifting regulations, delayed reimbursements, and multiple roles from clinician to IT support. These obstacles taught him resilience and the importance of focusing on the mission rather than waiting for ideal conditions. Each setback ultimately strengthened Renew Health’s foundation and commitment to making addiction care more accessible and compassionate.
Innovative Telehealth Services
Traditional addiction treatment often creates significant barriers such as long wait times, impersonal environments, and a lack of empathy, especially for patients in rural or underserved areas. Renew Health is changing this by offering a more patient-centered approach that combines telehealth with welcoming in-person clinics, making care accessible and supportive no matter where patients live.
Their unique proprietary transition protocol helps patients safely move from opioids to Suboxone, reducing discomfort and improving retention.
Beyond MAT, which is gaining acceptance despite lingering stigma, Renew Health integrates whole-person care that includes:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Family support systems
- Overdose prevention tools like Narcan
- Personalized care plans
- A dedicated Patient Success Coordinator
- Peer involvement
- Employment pathways
Renew Health is also preparing for upcoming policy shifts around Medicaid and healthcare equity, ensuring its model remains adaptable and centered on delivering compassionate, effective care.
Beyond the Prescription
One story that left a lasting impact on Trent Carter was of a patient who had been on Suboxone for over 20 years. She came in feeling like she had somehow failed because she still needed the medication. But in reality, she was stable, working, raising her children, and living a full life: that was recovery. Together, they reframed her story. She wasn’t failing; she was thriving. That moment helped Carter see that the true goal isn’t just to prescribe medication, but to shift how success in addiction recovery is defined.
It’s about allowing people to heal on their own terms, without shame or pressure. These moments, when patients regain their sense of dignity and self-worth, are powerful reminders that the model Trent Carter has built truly works. Recovery looks different for everyone, and his approach is about giving each person the tools and support to build a life they can be proud of.
Critical Role of Trust in Healthcare Success
Trent Carter has learned that while speed drives growth, trust is what sustains it. In healthcare, even the best ideas fail without the confidence of patients, partners, and teams. For him, true leadership means being honest, consistent, and showing up, even during tough times. Innovation isn’t just about technology or treatments; it’s also about fostering a supportive culture.
Real impact happens when patients and staff believe in the mission. Trust, he believes, is the foundation of lasting change. It can’t be rushed or faked, but without it, even the most promising ideas won’t succeed.
Focus on Practical, Scalable Solutions for Addiction Care
Although not currently involved in a formal clinical trial, Trent Carter has actively contributed to state-level working groups and advisory discussions aimed at improving access to opioid treatment in underserved communities. His focus remains on developing practical, hands-on solutions that can be implemented quickly without compromising the quality of care.
Renew Health is also gathering data to support the effectiveness of its proprietary transition model. As positive outcomes continue to grow, the team is preparing to publish real-world results that could help guide best practices across the country, particularly for Medicaid-heavy and rural populations.
Looking ahead, Trent Carter plans to formalize the approach into a whitepaper and eventually create a training program for healthcare providers to help scale the model further.
Patient Voices at the Heart of Care Improvement
Patient feedback is central to how Renew Health improves its services. Rather than designing systems in isolation, the team builds around real human needs. Trent Carter emphasizes listening to patients to identify what’s working and what needs improvement. After noticing a drop in follow-up visits at a new clinic, they discovered the issue was logistical. Patients struggled with transportation and scheduling.
In response, Renew Health extended telehealth to evenings and lunch hours, and introduced a Patient Success Coordinator to manage logistics. These adjustments significantly improved patient engagement and retention, proving that responsive care drives better outcomes.
Strategic Partnerships Across New Mexico
Renew Health has formed strong alliances to expand access and improve care quality.
These include partnerships with:
- Hospitals and behavioral health providers for integrated care
- Local governments and community organizations
- Local detention centers and jail systems
- State grant programs targeting rural addiction recovery
- Job training and housing organizations
These collaborations accelerate growth and ensure recovery is supported through stability, employment, and long-term wellness.
Rapid Expansion
Renew Health’s growth over the past three years has been rapid and rooted in real community impact. What began as a single outpatient clinic has grown into a statewide leader in addiction treatment, especially focused on serving Medicaid populations in New Mexico’s most underserved areas. The organization’s expansion reflects the rising demand for accessible care and the success of its patient-centered approach.
Key highlights of this growth include:
- Patient volume has doubled year over year since the company was founded, signaling strong demand and positive outcomes.
- Three new clinics are set to open soon, with a focus on reaching rural counties that currently lack access to treatment.
- The organization maintains a retention rate of over 80% beyond the first 30 days of care, an important benchmark for recovery success.
- Over 90% of patients are on Medicaid, underscoring Renew Health’s commitment to equitable and affordable treatment.
- All patients are screened for mental health conditions and co-occurring disorders during their initial intake.
- 98% of patients receive Narcan during their first appointment, along with education on overdose prevention.
- Treatment plans include access to therapy, CBT, and family counseling, ensuring care addresses more than just addiction.
- Thanks to a flexible telehealth model, there is no waitlist for MAT inductions in most regions. In urgent cases, patients can begin treatment within 24–48 hours and often times the same day.
The impact of this model is seen in patient outcomes. Emergency room visits and relapse rates have dropped significantly.
Follow-up surveys show that:
- 92% of patients reported a clear improvement in quality of life within their first 60 days of care.
- 87% felt more optimistic about their long-term recovery after just three appointments.
- 100% said they felt “heard and respected” by the staff, an essential part of the healing process.
Client Success Story
One story that shows Renew Health’s impact is about a woman who had struggled with addiction for over ten years. She lost custody of her children, hurt her relationships, and tried to recover many times without success. When she came to Renew Health, she was tired and unsure if recovery was possible.
After starting treatment with their Suboxone program, she felt “normal” within a few days. That gave her the strength to start counseling and stay committed. With continued support, she got her children back, found a full-time job, and has now been sober for over a year.
The Power of Early Action
Trent Carter urges new healthcare leaders not to wait for ideal conditions. The need is urgent, and change starts with action.
His advice:
- Start imperfectly if needed, but start
- Lead with integrity and accountability
- Stay focused on doing, not just planning
- Let results shape the system
Because in healthcare, real impact comes from what’s built and sustained with purpose.
Award-Winning Excellence
Notable recognitions and media features include:
- Renew Health
- Best Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center in New Mexico (Addiction Group, 2024)
- Best Places to Work (Albuquerque Business First, 2024 & 2025)
- Trent Carter
- TTUHSC Presidential Distinguished Alumni Award
- TTUHSC Community Advocacy Alumni Award
- Distinguished Alumni Speaker at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
- Albuquerque Business First’s 40 Under 40
- Top Family Nurse Practitioner in New Mexico (Today’s Nurse)
His story and insights have also been featured in numerous articles, podcasts, and TV appearances. Renew Health is regularly highlighted by state agencies for its contributions to underserved populations.
Recognized Leader
Trent Carter has been widely recognized for his leadership and contributions in the healthcare space. He was recently invited as a Distinguished Alumni Speaker at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where he received the Presidential Distinguished Alumni Award and the Community Advocacy Award. Renew Health, the company he founded, has also received notable recognition: being featured in Addiction Group’s list of Top Rehab Centers and named the Best Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center in New Mexico in 2024. Additionally, the company was honored by Albuquerque Business First as one of the Best Places to Work in 2024 and 2025.
Trent Carter himself was named among Albuquerque Business First’s 40 Under 40, and his voice has reached broader audiences through features in numerous articles, television appearances, news segments, and podcasts. Many of these media engagements are available on his website. Renew Health has also been highlighted by state agencies as a leading provider of addiction treatment services in underserved areas, further solidifying its impact and credibility in the field.
Personal Commitment to Education and Advocacy
Renew Health is expanding, planning to open three new clinics in rural New Mexico within two years to serve communities lacking quality addiction care. They’re growing their hub-and-spoke model, blending telehealth with physical clinics for a flexible, effective recovery network.
A major focus is formalizing and teaching their proprietary opioid-to-Suboxone transition protocol, which improves patient outcomes, especially for Medicaid and underserved groups. Trent Carter recently published The Recovery Tool Belt, offering practical tools and inspiration for those in recovery and their supporters. Trent Carter continues to mentor and advocate for changing addiction treatment narratives to save more lives.
Trent Carter’s 5 Impactful Business Mantras
- Start Now, Not Later: Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Action drives impact.
- Lead with Empathy: Real innovation begins by truly understanding people.
- Trust Builds Everything: Growth lasts only when it’s built on trust.
- Redefine Success: Focus on outcomes that restore dignity and hope.
- Listen, Adapt, Serve: Build solutions around real human needs.
