Opioid Treatment and MAT in Huntington, WV
Huntington sits at the center of one of the most documented overdose crises in the country, and the data remain stark: fentanyl was present in 69% of Cabell County's 2024 overdose deaths. But the city also built West Virginia's first Quick Response Team and has an unusually deep treatment network for its size. This page covers what treatment is available, how medications for opioid use disorder work, and how to start.
How bad the opioid problem is here
The West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy's county profile shows what is driving Cabell County's overdose deaths. In 2024:
- Fentanyl was present in 69% of overdose deaths
- Methamphetamine was present in 53%
- Cocaine was present in 31%
- Other opioids (including buprenorphine, methadone, and synthetic opioids) in 30%
- Benzodiazepines in 21%
The county recorded 164 overdose deaths in 2023 (down from 168 in 2022). Cabell's population is about 91,489.
If someone is unresponsive, breathing slowly, or has pinpoint pupils, call 911 and give naloxone if you have it.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) near Huntington
Medication-assisted treatment - also called medications for opioid use disorder, or MOUD - combines one of three FDA-approved medications with counseling. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse:
- Methadone is a full opioid agonist dispensed through certified opioid treatment programs; it relieves withdrawal and cravings.
- Buprenorphine is a partial agonist that can be prescribed in a doctor's office and reduces cravings and withdrawal.
- Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors so opioids stop producing a high; it is started only after opioids have cleared the body.
People treated with methadone or buprenorphine are less likely to die or have an overdose than people who receive no medication for their opioid use disorder.
Within 30 miles of downtown Huntington, the SAMHSA locator lists:
- 46 treatment facilities total
- 3 federally certified opioid treatment programs (methadone and buprenorphine)
- 35 facilities that prescribe buprenorphine
- 33 offering methadone/buprenorphine or naltrexone treatment
- 8 offering detoxification and 8 with residential programs
Because the city borders Ohio and Kentucky, some of those 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 a program in Ohio. 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% (328 people) entered treatment after contact, according to reporting in The Herald-Dispatch. Earlier data showed similar results, with roughly 30% of those contacted entering treatment. 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.
If an overdose has happened in your family, 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 and social services. 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.
Naloxone is also available more broadly. West Virginia has a statewide standing order that 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 opioid 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
- If someone is overdosing, call 911 now and give naloxone. For a crisis, call or text 988.
- 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.
- Search findtreatment.gov with ZIP code 25701 and filter for "medication-assisted treatment" or "buprenorphine."
- 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 has built one of the country's most studied responses to it. The treatment is here, Medicaid covers most of it, and the Quick Response Team will meet people where they are. Starting is one call away.