Quick answer
Huntington sits at the center of one of the most documented overdose crises in America, but it also built one of the first Quick Response Teams in the country. Cabell County connects people to treatment within days of an overdose. Here is what treatment looks like in Huntington and how to start.
Last updated: Thu Oct 01 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Huntington has lived through one of the most severe overdose crises in the United States, and it responded by building programs other cities now copy. Cabell County's Quick Response Team - the first in West Virginia - reaches people within days of an overdose, and treatment providers across the city offer everything from outpatient counseling to residential recovery. Here is how to find help in Huntington.
What the crisis has looked like here
The numbers are stark. Court findings in the Cabell County and City of Huntington opioid trial describe a county of roughly 93,000 residents that received about 81 million prescription pain pills over eight years, with the fatal overdose rate climbing from 16.6 per 100,000 in 2001 to 213.9 in 2017. In a single August day in 2017, the city saw 28 heroin overdoses in four hours, one of them fatal. In a recent year, Cabell County logged 1,067 emergency responses to suspected overdoses and at least 158 deaths.
In July 2022, a federal judge ruled in favor of the three drug distributors the county and city had sued, choosing trial over a settlement. The lawsuit is history now, but the treatment infrastructure it sped up is not. Huntington has spent years building a system designed for exactly the situation its residents face.
Huntington's Quick Response Team
Within days of an overdose, a three-person team may knock on the door. Huntington launched West Virginia's first Quick Response Team in December 2017, modeled after a program in Colerain, Ohio, with funding from federal grants through the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.
Each team pairs a Cabell County EMS paramedic with a Huntington police officer and a mental health provider drawn from Prestera Center, Recovery Point of Huntington, or the Huntington Comprehensive Treatment Center. Cabell County EMS refers everyone from suspected overdose calls, and the team visits the person's address within 24 to 72 hours with treatment options, overdose education, naloxone training, and a plan built around that person's needs. Early on, the team was engaging up to 40% of the people it visited into treatment, according to its program director - well above the one-in-five they had hoped for.
If an overdose has happened in your family, you do not have to wait for the knock. You can call or text (800) 653-9376 or use the form below and start the conversation today.
Treatment and harm reduction in the city
Huntington's response network includes pieces most cities assembled much later:
- A city Harm Reduction Program offering naloxone training, recovery assistance, and syringe-exchange services, with connections to recovery coaches.
- Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, whose addiction services leadership co-chaired the QRT implementation and continues to shape the region's clinical response.
- Sober living options in the community, including programs that accept people who have relapsed before.
How to find treatment in Huntington
- Search SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov locator by ZIP code and filter for the services and payment options you need.
- Use the state's HELP4WV line, which answers 24 hours a day and connects West Virginians with treatment and recovery resources.
- Contact the providers involved in the local response network directly and ask about assessments and openings.
- Read the statewide West Virginia guide for Medicaid coverage details and how the state system fits together.
- See benzodiazepine detox and treatment in Huntington for why a supervised taper matters and what Cabell County's data shows.
- See alcohol rehab and detox in Huntington for local alcohol withdrawal safety and treatment options.
- See opioid treatment and MAT in Huntington for the city's Quick Response Team history and MOUD access.
A note on safety
If you drink heavily or take benzodiazepines regularly, do not stop suddenly - withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines can be dangerous and needs medical supervision. If someone is unresponsive or struggling to breathe, call 911 immediately and use naloxone if you have it. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
If you want help figuring out which level of care fits, call or text (800) 653-9376 any time.
Treatment by substance in Huntington
Questions about rehab in Huntington
How bad is the overdose problem in Huntington and Cabell County?
Cabell County has been called ground zero of the opioid epidemic. Court findings show its fatal overdose rate rose from 16.6 to 213.9 per 100,000 between 2001 and 2017, and in one recent year the county recorded 1,067 emergency responses to suspected overdoses with at least 158 deaths.
What is Huntington's Quick Response Team?
The QRT was West Virginia's first, launched in December 2017 and modeled after a program in Colerain, Ohio. A paramedic, a police officer, and a mental health provider visit people within 24 to 72 hours of an overdose to offer treatment options in person.
Who provides treatment in the Huntington area?
The QRT itself draws staff from Prestera Center, Recovery Point of Huntington, and the Huntington Comprehensive Treatment Center, alongside Cabell County EMS and Huntington police. Marshall University's medical school has been closely involved in the region's overdose response.
Does Huntington have harm reduction services?
Yes. Huntington established a Harm Reduction Program that includes naloxone training, recovery assistance, and syringe-exchange services, and it connects participants to recovery coaches.