(A News and Sentinel Op-Ed - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

For more than a decade, Wood County, W.Va., has stood on the front lines of the opioid epidemic. While communities across the state were struggling to respond, Wood County stepped forward — opening treatment centers, recovery programs, and support services designed to help people fighting addiction.

But somewhere along the way, something changed.

Instead of a balanced, statewide effort to address addiction, Wood County began to carry a disproportionate share of the burden. At one point, the county had roughly 27% of West Virginia’s residential treatment beds while holding less than 5% of the state’s population. That imbalance created challenges that local residents and businesses could not ignore.

The result has been a complicated reality. While treatment programs save lives, the concentration of facilities in one small community has had visible consequences — strained neighborhoods, pressure on local services, and growing concerns about homelessness and drug activity in certain areas.

It is not unreasonable for citizens to ask a simple question: When does helping become overwhelming?

Wood County’s legislative delegation has taken a firm stance on that question. Rather than continue allowing an unlimited expansion of treatment beds and recovery housing in one county, they supported legislation designed to create a more balanced distribution of treatment services across the state. The goal was not to eliminate treatment, but to ensure that every region of West Virginia shares responsibility for addressing addiction.

That position has not always been popular with everyone involved in the recovery industry. But public policy should never be dictated solely by those who profit from treatment services. Communities have a right to determine what is sustainable for their neighborhoods.

The reality is that Wood County has already done more than many communities in the state. For years it has been a place where people came seeking help and recovery. That commitment should be respected — not taken advantage of.

The solution to West Virginia’s addiction crisis will never come from concentrating services in one county or one city. It requires a statewide strategy, shared responsibility, and thoughtful planning.

Wood County has shown compassion and leadership during one of the worst public health crises in the state’s history. Now the rest of West Virginia must step up and share that responsibility.

Helping people recover is essential. But so is protecting the communities that have already carried the weight for far too long.

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State Del. Scot Heckert, R-Wood, is assistant majority whip.