How Telehealth Is Expanding Access to Opioid Treatment

A doctor’s office shouldn’t stand between someone and lifesaving treatment.

Before the pandemic, patients generally needed an in-person medical evaluation before they could receive buprenorphine, a proven medication for opioid use disorder. For people living in rural communities or facing transportation, child care, or work barriers, that requirement could put treatment out of reach.Dr. Kari Law explains how telehealth transformed access to care in West Virginia—helping more people begin treatment and stay in it longer.

As communities recognize National Overdose Awareness Day, this progress shows how removing barriers to effective treatment can help save lives.