Published: 2026-10-24 Updated: 2026-10-24

Opioid Treatment and MAT in Wilkes-Barre, PA

Wilkes-Barre is the seat of Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania, a city of about 44,700 people in the Wyoming Valley. If you use opioids and want to stop, the most important thing to know is that medication works — and that a certified program sits in the city itself.

If someone is unresponsive or breathing slowly, call 911 and give naloxone if you have it. For a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988.

What opioid treatment is available in Wilkes-Barre?

It depends on what you need first. If you are using daily or waking up sick, buprenorphine or methadone is the strongest first step, because both lower the risk of dying of an overdose compared with detox or counseling alone. If you have just overdosed, or have an untreated infection or injury, 911 and the emergency department come first. If you have stopped before and keep returning to use, restarting medication is usually what breaks the cycle. If you are already steady, outpatient counseling and peer support carry the work forward.

What treatment for opioid use disorder looks like

NIDA summarizes the evidence that people on methadone or buprenorphine stay in treatment longer and are far less likely to die of an overdose than people who stop using opioids without medication. Three medications are FDA-approved:

• Methadone — dispensed at a federally certified opioid treatment program; a fit for many people with long-standing or high-level dependence.
• Buprenorphine — a prescription you fill at a pharmacy, prescribed by outpatient providers, which keeps treatment compatible with a job or classes.
• Naltrexone (extended-release) — a monthly injection for people who have already cleared opioids from their body and want a blocking medication.

Counseling rides alongside all three. If a program tells you that medication is "just replacing one drug with another," that contradicts the evidence — and it is a reason to call a different program.

Where to get help in Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County

Per the SAMHSA treatment locator, within 30 miles of Wilkes-Barre there are:

• 4 federally certified opioid treatment programs, one of them in the city
• 22 facilities that prescribe buprenorphine, plus 19 that prescribe or administer naltrexone
• 8 facilities offering detoxification, including 5 residential and 2 hospital-based programs
• 9 residential programs and 15 intensive outpatient programs

The public path starts with the Luzerne/Wyoming Counties Drug and Alcohol Program at 570-826-8790 (20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Penn Place Building, Suite 218, Wilkes-Barre), which provides assessment and referral to licensed providers. The 24-hour Help Line at 888-829-1341 offers information and referral for county residents.

What the local data show

CDC's provisional county-level data count 58 drug overdose deaths in Luzerne County in the 12 months ending March 31, 2026. Provisional counts are revised as toxicology results are finalized. Fentanyl remains the through-line in northeastern Pennsylvania, which is why carrying naloxone and starting medication matters.

Getting naloxone in Luzerne County

• At any Pennsylvania pharmacy under the state's standing order, no prescription of your own required.
• Through the county drug and alcohol program at 570-826-8790, which can connect you to free kits.
• Every overdose is a 911 call. NIDA notes that fentanyl is far more potent than heroin or prescription opioids and that naloxone wears off, so the person can slip back into overdose after it seems to help.

Paying for opioid treatment

Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid, so more adults with low incomes qualify than in non-expansion states. Medical Assistance covers medication for opioid use disorder, counseling, intensive outpatient care, residential treatment, and withdrawal management through covered providers — and 28 of the 31 facilities listed within 30 miles of Wilkes-Barre accept Medicaid. If you are uninsured, ask the county program at 570-826-8790 about publicly funded options.

Crisis lines and emergencies

• Overdose — call 911 first. Give naloxone if you have it, and stay until help arrives.
• 988 — call or text, the national suicide and crisis line, for any crisis.
• Luzerne County Help Line — 888-829-1341, available 24 hours a day.
• PA Get Help Now — 1-800-662-4357, 24/7 drug and alcohol referrals statewide.

How to start today

1. If someone is overdosing, call 911 now and give naloxone. For a crisis, call or text 988, or call the Help Line at 888-829-1341.
2. Call or text (800) 653-9376 to speak with a treatment specialist about medication and intake, 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. Call the Luzerne/Wyoming Counties Drug and Alcohol Program at 570-826-8790 for assessment and referral.
4. Ask about same-week starts. Buprenorphine can often begin within days; methadone starts with an intake at a certified program.

Opioid use disorder is treatable, and the medication that treats it is available here. The first call is usually harder than the first appointment. Other Opioid treatment in Pennsylvania: Opioid treatment and MAT in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Erie, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in New Castle, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Reading, Pennsylvania, Opioid treatment and MAT in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Frequently asked questions