Fentanyl Treatment in Huntington, WV

No American city has had its overdose crisis documented more closely than Huntington, and fentanyl is the reason. But the same scrutiny has produced something worth having: a treatment network, a Quick Response Team, and free naloxone that are already set up to help you. If fentanyl is in your life - your own use or someone you love - this page covers what is here and how to reach it tonight.

Fentanyl in Cabell County

The West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy's Cabell County At-A-Glance 2025 profile, based on 2024 deaths, records fentanyl in 69% of the county's overdose fatalities - the highest share in West Virginia. Methamphetamine was present in 53%, cocaine in 31%, other opioids in 30%, and benzodiazepines in 21%. The county's population is about 91,489, and it recorded 164 overdose deaths in 2023, down from 168 in 2022.

Statewide, the same At-A-Glance 2025 series puts fentanyl in 67% of West Virginia's 2024 overdose deaths. The Department of Human Services Bureau for Behavioral Health and the Office of Drug Control Policy publish these figures together, and the state's own reporting shows deaths declining - but a county where fentanyl appears in nearly seven of ten fatal overdoses has not stopped hurting.

Why fentanyl is different

Fentanyl is a lab-made opioid. The CDC reports that pharmaceutical fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and NIDA notes that as little as 2 milligrams can be fatal. It slows the part of the brain that controls breathing. The DEA warns that illegally made fentanyl is pressed into counterfeit pills that look like prescription opioids or Xanax, and that pills in its testing ranged from 0.02 to 5.1 milligrams of fentanyl each. You cannot see, taste, or smell it, which is why a pill that looks like something else can kill.

If someone is unresponsive, breathing slowly, or has pinpoint pupils, call 911 and give naloxone if you have it. Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose and will not hurt someone who is not overdosing.

Medication for opioid use disorder in Huntington

Fentanyl use disorder is treatable, and medication combined with counseling is the approach with the strongest evidence. NIDA lists three FDA-approved medications:

• Methadone, a long-acting opioid dispensed through certified opioid treatment programs.
• Buprenorphine, a partial agonist available as a daily tablet or film and as longer-acting injections.
• Naltrexone, which blocks opioid receptors and is started only after opioids have cleared the body.

Within 30 miles of downtown Huntington (ZIP 25701), the SAMHSA locator lists 46 treatment facilities - a deep network for a city this size - including 3 federally certified opioid treatment programs, 35 facilities that prescribe buprenorphine, and 33 offering methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone. Eight offer detoxification and eight have residential programs. Because Huntington borders Ohio and Kentucky, some options are just across the river.

The Quick Response Team

Huntington launched West Virginia's first Quick Response Team (QRT) in December 2017, modeled on an Ohio program. A QRT pairs a paramedic, a police officer, and a mental health or peer specialist who follow up after a reported overdose - usually within 24 to 72 hours - to offer treatment, overdose education, and naloxone. The results are documented: from 2020 to 2024, the team contacted 1,020 people and about 32% entered treatment after contact, according to reporting in The Herald-Dispatch. West Virginia's Medicaid 1115 waiver now authorizes QRT services as a covered benefit, which is meant to make funding steadier than the grant cycles the team has relied on.

You do not have to wait for the team to knock. You can start the conversation now.

Naloxone and harm reduction in Huntington

The Cabell-Huntington Health Department runs an overdose and infectious disease prevention program offering free naloxone and rescue-breathing training, testing, and referrals to treatment. One change to note: the health department ended the syringe services portion of the program on December 16, 2025 after a decade, citing funding. Naloxone training and other prevention services continue. West Virginia's statewide standing order also lets pharmacists dispense naloxone without a prescription, and the state Office of Drug Control Policy reported 136,276 naloxone kits distributed across West Virginia in 2025.

Paying for fentanyl treatment in Huntington

West Virginia Medicaid covers MAT - methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone - as a mandatory benefit, with methadone covered through certified opioid treatment programs. Medicaid also covers withdrawal management, outpatient and intensive outpatient care, and residential treatment. Most members receive services through Mountain Health Trust managed care plans.

For anyone without coverage, HELP4WV - the state's free, confidential 24/7 line at 1-844-435-7498 - can help with enrollment, no-cost options, and transportation to an open bed.

How to start today

1. If someone is overdosing, call 911 now 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 with ZIP code 25701 and filter for "medication-assisted treatment" or "buprenorphine."
4. Ask a program directly how soon they can start buprenorphine - many can begin within days.

Huntington has been through the worst of this epidemic and built one of the country's most studied responses to it. The medication is here, Medicaid covers most of it, and the Quick Response Team will meet people where they are. Starting is one call away.

Call 911 in a medical emergency. Call or text 988 for a mental health or substance use crisis.

Frequently asked questions