Opioid Treatment and MAT in Portsmouth, OH

Portsmouth sits at the center of the county that has carried Ohio's heaviest overdose burden - and one where the numbers have finally started to fall. Scioto County recorded 47 unintentional overdose deaths in 2024, down from 81 the year before. The public treatment network is here, funded and reachable, and medication for opioid use disorder is the treatment with the evidence behind it. Here is how to start.

How do I get opioid treatment in Portsmouth, OH?

It depends on where you are right now. If you are medically stable and using opioids daily, medication first - buprenorphine or methadone - lowers your overdose risk faster than waiting for a residential bed. If you are withdrawing or have been using heavily, ask about medically supervised withdrawal management, then medication to hold the gain. If someone is unresponsive or barely breathing, that is a 911 call and naloxone, not a call about beds. In every case, the first step is one call to a program that can screen you this week.

What the Scioto County data show

The Ohio Department of Health counted 47 unintentional drug overdose deaths in Scioto County in 2024 - a rate of 71.5 per 100,000, down from 81 deaths in 2023. The improvement is real, but the county's average rate across 2020-2024, 118.5 per 100,000, was the highest of any county in Ohio. The Ohio Newsroom reported that from 2015 to 2020, 80 out of every 100,000 Scioto County residents died of an opioid overdose - the worst rate in the state.

Statewide, the Ohio Department of Health reported 4,452 unintentional drug overdose deaths in Ohio in 2023, with opioids involved in 82% of them, and illicit fentanyl or fentanyl analogs involved in 78% of all such deaths. Anyone using a street pill or what looks like a prescription opioid should assume fentanyl may be present.

Medication is the standard of care

Opioid use disorder is a treatable medical condition, and NIDA describes three FDA-approved medications:

• Methadone - a full opioid agonist, dispensed daily through a federally certified opioid treatment program (OTP).
• Buprenorphine - a partial agonist prescribed from an office or clinic, as a daily dose or a long-acting injection.
• Naltrexone - blocks opioid receptors so opioids stop producing a high; it can start only after opioids have cleared the body.

People treated with methadone or buprenorphine are less likely to die or to overdose than people who receive no medication, which is why a program offering only abstinent counseling is usually the wrong first call for someone at high risk.

Within 30 miles of central Portsmouth, the SAMHSA treatment locator lists 37 substance use treatment facilities (pull dated October 23, 2026), including:

• 5 federally certified opioid treatment programs
• 27 facilities that prescribe buprenorphine
• 27 offering outpatient methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone treatment
• 8 offering detoxification, and 8 offering residential care

Counts change as programs open and close, so confirm current availability before you go.

Who provides care in Portsmouth

The ADAMHS Board of Adams, Lawrence and Scioto Counties (Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services) plans and funds behavioral health prevention, treatment, and recovery support for the tri-county area. Its office is at 919 Seventh Street, Portsmouth, OH 45662, phone 740-354-5648, and it is the right starting point if you are uninsured or unsure where to begin.

Among the providers it supports, The Counseling Center in Portsmouth offers outpatient addiction treatment and recovery housing, and Shawnee Family Health Center runs a Scioto County clinic that combines behavioral health and primary care. Ask the board which program best fits your situation - including same-week medication starts.

Naloxone and overdose response

Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose, including fentanyl, and cannot hurt someone who is not overdosing. It is free through Naloxone.Ohio.gov, available through the local health district, and sold over the counter at pharmacies. A fentanyl overdose can need more than one dose, so carry two if you can.

If someone is unresponsive, breathing slowly or not at all, or has pinpoint pupils, call 911 and give naloxone if you have it. Ohio's Good Samaritan law protects people who call for help in an overdose.

Paying for opioid treatment in Portsmouth

Ohio Medicaid covers medically necessary substance use disorder treatment for eligible members, including medications for opioid use disorder, when delivered by certified providers. Ohio expanded Medicaid in 2014, so many low-income adults qualify. All 37 of the facilities listed within 30 miles of Portsmouth report accepting Medicaid, and 25 offer a sliding fee scale (SAMHSA pull dated October 23, 2026). If you are uninsured, ask the ADAMHS Board about payment help before you rule a program out.

How to start today

1. If someone is overdosing, call 911 and give naloxone. For a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988.
2. Call or text (800) 653-9376 to speak with a treatment specialist, or use this form:

Calling is free; the referral service is paid for by treatment providers, and we check your benefits before you commit.

3. Search findtreatment.gov from any Portsmouth ZIP code and filter for opioid treatment programs or buprenorphine.
4. Call the ADAMHS Board at 740-354-5648 for a funded referral, and pick up free naloxone before you need it.

Scioto County's overdose deaths fell by more than 40% in a single year, and the public treatment network is ready. Medication is what keeps that progress going for one person at a time - and the first call is the part that changes the math.

This page is general health information, not medical advice. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any facility named above. Other Opioid treatment in Ohio: Opioid treatment and MAT in Akron, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Canton, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Chillicothe, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Cincinnati, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Cleveland, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Columbus, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Dayton, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Hamilton, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Kettering, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Lorain, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Springfield, Ohio, Opioid treatment and MAT in Steubenville, Ohio.

Frequently asked questions