Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Buckhannon, West Virginia

Buckhannon, the Upshur County seat, has one of the lower overdose counts in West Virginia - five fatalities in 2024 - but a small number is not a small problem for the families behind it. A behavioral health center operates downtown, the local hospital connects patients to care, and a regional transit line covers the county on weekdays. Here is how it fits together.

What Upshur County's data show

Buckhannon's population is about 5,054, within an Upshur County total of 23,650. The Office of Drug Control Policy counted 5 overdose fatalities in 2024, down from 6 in 2023 and 8 in 2022 - a steady, three-year decline.

The substances found in the county's 2024 deaths (multiple substances can appear in one death) tell a different story from the state's largest counties:

• Other drugs in 80% of fatalities - the highest share of any substance category.
• Fentanyl in 60% and methamphetamine in 60%.
• Alcohol and other opioids in 40% each.

With a county this size, those percentages rest on a handful of deaths, so treat them as a signal of what is circulating, not a stable rate. One clear trend holds: opioid prescription dispensing in Upshur County fell 49.2% between 2014 and 2024.

Where care happens

Appalachian Community Health Center, Inc. is the county's local comprehensive behavioral health provider, and its Upshur County office sits at 27 S. Kanawha Street in downtown Buckhannon ((304) 472-2022), open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with appointments available beyond those hours. ACHC is a fully licensed behavioral health center serving a four-county rural region - Barbour, Randolph, Tucker, and Upshur. Upshur County has no Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic of its own, so ACHC's office is the front door for local care.

On the medical side, the state's county report names Davis Medical Center and WVU Medicine St. Joseph's Hospital as hospitals with substance use disorder response programs. St. Joseph's has cared for Buckhannon since 1920, when the Pallottine Sisters opened an eight-bed hospital on the Barlow Estate, and it joined WVU Medicine in 2015. The county's court-connected program is the 26th Judicial Circuit Community Corrections Day Report Center.

The SAMHSA treatment locator lists all licensed providers near ZIP code 26201, filterable by level of care and payment.

Rides and access

Country Roads Transit provides public transportation across Randolph and Upshur counties, operating weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with one-way fares from $3.75 to $10.00 - bookable at 304-636-6472. For longer trips, Buckhannon sits about 30 minutes from Clarksburg by road, and Medicaid members can request non-emergency medical transportation to covered appointments through the state's broker.

Paying for treatment

Buckhannon's median household income is about $54,615, above several other cities of its size, but 21.7% of residents still live in poverty. West Virginia expanded Medicaid in 2014, and Medicaid covers substance use disorder services for qualifying adults. Uninsured residents can use the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP) or HELP4WV for free, confidential referrals.

First steps

1. Emergency: call 911. In a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988.
2. Call or text (800) 653-9376 or complete
   . Calling is free; treatment providers fund the referral service, and benefits can be checked before you commit.
3. Search findtreatment.gov from ZIP code 26201.
4. Call ACHC's Kanawha Street office about an assessment, and ask Country Roads Transit or your Medicaid broker about rides.

Upshur County's numbers have moved down for three straight years. The local office, the hospital program, and the bus are already in place - the call is what turns them into a plan.

Questions about rehab in Buckhannon