Hotline expansion will help WA patients statewide start addiction care
A new Washington state hotline is helping connect people dealing with drug addiction to local treatment options.
The Washington Telebuprenorphine (Telebupe) Hotline launched as a pilot program in 2024 for residents of Seattle and King County. As of this week, it’s now available statewide.
Patients can call the hotline and be connected with a care coordinator in their region who can help find a local clinic and resources to start addiction treatment. The goal is to connect patients with providers trained in addiction care who can prescribe sublingual buprenorphine and help get the patient started on medication-assisted treatment.
It’s designed to reduce barriers to care and help patients across the state find local providers.
That means callers in the Tri-Cities will be directed to local resources.
Buprenorphine is a prescription partial opioid used to help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms of opioids like fentanyl and heroin. It serves a similar function to methadone, but is generally considered safer.
More than 1,400 people used the hotline during the pilot period, according to a news release from the Washington state Department of Health.
“Buprenorphine saves lives from overdose and is one of the most effective tools we have to treat opioid use disorder,” said State Health Officer Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett. “Expanding the Telebupe Hotline is an important step towards giving people with opioid use disorder timely and compassionate care no matter where they live in our state.”
Callers first speak to a coordinator who conducts a brief intake and is knowledgeable about local clinics and resources. The caller then has a telehealth visit with a University of Washington emergency physician who can call in a prescription to the patient’s pharmacy.
Staff then follows up within 72 hours to help connect the patient to longer term care. The hotline and initial treatment is free and does not bill insurance.
Anyone 13 or older can call 206-289-0287 for same day help. The hotline is available 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
More information is available online on the University of Washington’s emergency medicine website.
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 12:19 PM.