Opioid Treatment and MOUD in Reading, PA

Berks County just had its first improving year in the fentanyl era: the coroner counted 117 overdose deaths in 2024, down from 137, and provisional CDC data continues the decline. That window matters — not because the risk is gone, but because starting medication now meets a treatment system in Reading that is unusually well built for it. Here is how to move, today.

Where overdose stands in Berks County

Three data points frame the local picture:

  • 117 overdose deaths in 2024, down from 137 in 2023 — the Berks County coroner called it the first positive direction in local overdose deaths, while noting the numbers were preliminary.
  • 83 provisional deaths in the 12 months ending December 2025, down from 93 in the prior 12 months, per CDC's county-level data. Provisional counts undercount at first and get revised.
  • Drug overdose tied with falls as the leading cause of death in Berks County in 2024, per the coroner — this remains the county's deadliest health problem, not a solved one.

Berks County holds about 439,117 people, roughly 96,000 in Reading, per Census Bureau estimates. Statewide context: Pennsylvania recorded 3,341 overdose deaths in 2024, a 29.2% drop from 2023, with fentanyl involved in 67% of fatal overdoses.

Medication for opioid use disorder in Reading

Reading's provider base is dense for a city its size. Per the SAMHSA treatment locator:

  • 7 substance use facilities in the city, including 4 that dispense methadone at certified opioid treatment programs
  • 6 offering buprenorphine — the medication that can start in a regular doctor's office, not just a clinic
  • 4 offering naltrexone, the monthly injection that blocks opioid effects
  • 2 offering detoxification, 6 running intensive outpatient programs, 2 with partial hospitalization
  • 53 facilities within 30 miles, 27 of them dispensing methadone — including Pottstown, Pottsville, and Lancaster options if city waitlists run long

The National Institute on Drug Abuse summarizes decades of evidence simply: methadone and buprenorphine relieve withdrawal and cravings, and people treated with them are less likely to die than people without medication. Counts shift as programs open and close, so verify on the locator or by phone.

Naloxone and local overdose response

  • Free Narcan from COCA — the Council on Chemical Abuse gives a box with two doses to anyone who requests it, at 50 N. 5th Street, Reading; call 610-376-8669
  • SOS Berks — the county opioid coalition distributes free overdose reversal kits to anyone who lives or works in Berks County
  • Statewide supply into Berks — DDAP's Overdose Prevention Program sent 12,312 naloxone doses to Berks County organizations between December 2024 and September 2025
  • No-prescription pharmacy access — Pennsylvania's standing order lets anyone buy naloxone at a pharmacy without their own prescription, with a statewide mail-to-home option
  • Hospital warm handoff — Berks TASC staff respond around the clock in Reading Hospital's emergency department to overdose survivors and people in withdrawal, connecting them to detox, residential, medication, and outpatient treatment

Carry naloxone if you or anyone around you uses opioids. Give it when breathing slows or stops, then call 911.

Paying for treatment

Pennsylvania Medical Assistance covers opioid use disorder medications; a February 2024 Department of Human Services bulletin sets sublingual buprenorphine under the Statewide Preferred Drug List with quantity limits above which prior authorization applies. Berks TASC (610-375-4426, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) is the county's central intake for publicly funded treatment — assessment, referral, and recovery support for county residents, with funding available for people who cannot pay. The SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is another free, confidential starting point.

How to start today

  1. If someone may be overdosing — unresponsive, slow or no breathing — call 911 and give naloxone.
  2. Call or text (800) 653-9376 to talk through your options with a person, or use this form:

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

  1. Search findtreatment.gov from a Reading ZIP code, filtering for opioid treatment programs or buprenorphine.
  2. For a crisis that is not a medical emergency, call or text 988, or Holcomb Crisis Intervention at 610-379-2007 / 1-888-219-3910, answered 24/7.

This page is general health information, not medical advice. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any facility named above.

Call or text (800) 653-9376 Get help online