Important: This page provides general information, not medical or legal advice, a diagnosis, or a guarantee of services, coverage, cost, availability, or a particular privacy outcome. Policies and benefits can change. Consult a qualified professional for personal guidance and verify coverage and costs with the provider and health plan. Do not delay emergency help to check coverage.
Treatment
What Is Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)? A Plain-English Guide
MAT is a term you'll hear a lot in West Virginia. Here's what it refers to, what Southern Highlands' MAT program includes, what it costs, and how to get started.
If you have looked into treatment for opioid addiction in West Virginia, you have run into the letters MAT. They show up on clinic signs, in court paperwork, and in conversations with case workers, usually without anyone stopping to explain them.
This guide explains what the term refers to and what the program involves at Southern Highlands as a practical matter: where it is offered, what it costs, and how to get in.
It does not explain the medications. What a given medication does, whether it fits your situation, and how it would be prescribed are questions for a licensed provider. For general information from a national source, see SAMHSA.
What the letters mean
MAT stands for medication-assisted treatment. You will also see it written as MOUD, medications for opioid use disorder.
It describes a treatment program with more than one part:
- Medication, prescribed and monitored by a medical provider
- Counseling, individual or group
- Support services for the rest of it: housing, benefits, employment, transportation, court and family issues
The important thing in that list is that MAT is a program, not a prescription. When someone says a clinic “does MAT,” they mean the clinic has providers who can prescribe, counselors, and the staff to hold the whole thing together.
What Southern Highlands offers
Southern Highlands offers Suboxone and Vivitrol through Substance Use Disorder Services. Call (304) 818-2222 with questions about either program.
Southern Highlands does not offer methadone. Methadone is dispensed only through licensed opioid treatment programs, which are a separate type of facility with their own rules.
Which medication a provider discusses with you, if any, is decided at your appointment based on your history and your health. It is not something to settle in advance based on what you read, and staff on the phone cannot promise you a particular medication before you have been seen.
Where to read about the medications themselves
If you want to understand the medications before you call, use a national source rather than a clinic marketing page or a forum:
- SAMHSA covers medications for opioid use disorder and treatment programs generally
- NIMH covers mental health conditions, which often come up alongside substance use
Then bring your questions to the appointment. A provider who has your history in front of them can answer things a website cannot.
How to get started
Call SUD Services at (304) 818-2222 for questions about the Suboxone or Vivitrol programs. You do not need a referral from another doctor.
Expect intake questions. Staff will ask your name and date of birth, what is going on, your substance use history, your insurance, and what county you live in. That is scheduling information, not a screening you can fail.
Ask what to do before you come in. If there is anything you need to know before your first appointment, ask on that call and staff will tell you. Do not plan it out from something you read.
Bring what you need. Photo ID, insurance card if you have one, a list of any medications you currently take, and an emergency contact.
Plan for a long first visit. The first appointment is longer than the ones that follow. You will go through your history and your goals with a provider and leave with a plan. You can bring a family member with you.
What it costs
WV Medicaid. Medicaid covers many medically necessary substance use services, but eligibility, coverage, authorization, and cost-sharing vary by service and current policy. If you are not sure whether coverage is active or what it includes, staff can verify it.
Medicare. Coverage depends on the service, provider eligibility, and your Medicare or supplemental plan. Deductibles, coinsurance, or copays may apply.
Private insurance. Coverage, network status, authorization, exclusions, medication benefits, and cost-sharing vary by plan and service. Billing staff can help verify benefits and submit required authorization paperwork, but the plan makes the coverage decision.
No insurance. Ask whether a household-income-based sliding fee applies to the specific services and medications, what documentation is required, and whether payment arrangements are available. Staff can direct you to Medicaid application resources but cannot determine eligibility.
Getting there from where you live
Southern Highlands serves Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties. In this part of the state, the distance between you and the clinic is a real part of whether treatment works, not a footnote.
Worth asking about when you call:
- Telehealth. Some appointments can be handled by phone or video.
- Transportation. Ask whether your Medicaid plan covers non-emergency medical transportation. Staff can help you look into it.
- Location. Ask which clinic nearest you offers the program, so you are not making a longer drive than you need to.
- Scheduling. Ask for times that work around shift work, childcare, or a shared vehicle.
If the plan you leave with does not survive contact with your actual week, call and say so. Rescheduling is better than dropping out.
MAT inside a CCBHC
Southern Highlands is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. In plain terms, that means substance use services and mental health services belong to the same organization, and case management and care coordination come with them.
Practically, that means you are not driving to one place for counseling, another for medication, and a third for help with paperwork. Ask at intake what else is available at your location.
Privacy
Substance use treatment records may be protected by HIPAA, state law, and 42 C.F.R. Part 2. Those rules allow or require some disclosures and may require authorization for others. Ask staff for the applicable privacy notices and how the rules apply to employment, court, custody, payment, or safety situations.
The stigma around it
You will hear people say that treatment with medication is not really recovery. That opinion is common around here, and it stops people from calling.
You can choose what personal health information to discuss socially, but employment, court, custody, insurance, safety, and other legal situations may involve different duties or consequences. Ask a qualified professional about your circumstances rather than relying on a blanket privacy promise.
If you want a neutral read on medication treatment rather than a neighbor’s opinion, SAMHSA is a reasonable starting point.
If you are in crisis
Do not wait for an appointment:
- 988 — Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text, 24 hours a day (988lifeline.org)
- 1-800-615-0122 — Southern Highlands’ 24-hour crisis line
- 911 — if someone is in immediate physical danger, including a suspected overdose
- You can walk into our Crisis Stabilization Unit
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I call the program directly?
Yes. A health plan or particular service may still apply referral, authorization, eligibility, or medical-necessity rules.
Do I have to already be in counseling somewhere?
No. Counseling is part of what the program offers.
Can I be in a MAT program and get mental health treatment too?
Yes. Southern Highlands provides both.
Does Southern Highlands offer methadone?
No. Suboxone and Vivitrol only. Methadone is dispensed through licensed opioid treatment programs, which are a different type of facility.
What if I have no insurance and no income right now?
Call anyway. The sliding fee scale is based on household income, and staff can help you apply for coverage.
Can I bring a family member to my appointment?
Yes. Many people do.
Which medication will I be put on?
That is decided with a provider at your appointment, based on your history and your health. No one can tell you over the phone.
To ask about MAT in southern West Virginia, call SUD Services at (304) 818-2222. The main Southern Highlands line is (304) 425-9541. The 24-hour crisis line is 1-800-615-0122.
This blog describes the services Southern Highlands provides. It is not medical advice. Questions about your own treatment belong with a licensed provider.