Rocky Mount, N.C. — A 24-year-old cognitively impaired man who went missing from a mental health facility in Rocky Mount has been found safe.

The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons issued a Silver Alert for James Nathaniel Odums around 5:15 p.m. Odums was found safe around 8:30 p.m. by a staff member Aspirations & Miracles, at 1621 Eastern Ave., a facility spokeswoman said.

Odums appeared to be OK, but was taken to Nash General Hospital as a precaution.

Aspirations & Miracles staff have contacted authorities to have the Silver Alert canceled.

Developed in 2007, Silver Alert is a system to quickly notify the public about missing endangered adults who suffer from dementia or other cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease.

It also allows caregivers and nursing homes to report a person missing. In the past, only a family member could report an adult missing.