The University of Vermont Medical Center, based in Burlington, has launched an integrated addiction recovery program to address the record-high numbers of drug overdoses Vermont's largest community has been facing in 2023, according to an Aug. 17 report from WCAX 3.
As of July 2023, Burlington police have responded to 265 overdoses, which has already surpassed the total number of cases seen throughout the entirety of 2022. Additionally, the city has predicted the total number to reach 500 cases by the end of the year.
"We're at a critical point where we need more of everything," Cam Lauf, executive director of Turning Point Center of Chittenden County, said in the report. "We need a full on attack."
Turning Point works directly with UVM Medical Center, which has launched a new program that combines its two existing programs: an addiction treatment program and "DayOne," which focuses on alcohol use disorder. The collaborative program works with the emergency department to offer individuals struggling with addiction immediate access to medication and an outpatient program.
The goal of the program is to address the increased rates of fatal and nonfatal overdoses, public drug use and emergency department visits by expanding services and creating additional spaces for patients to receive addiction treatment more quickly. UVM Medical Center's program will provide harm reduction services and peer recovery programs, with an overall emphasis on immediate treatment to fight the city's "epidemic," according to the report.