Burlington is preparing to open Vermont's first overdose prevention center, also known as a safe injection site.
When it opens, it will be one of just a handful of such programs in the United States 鈥� there are two operating in New York City and one in Providence, Rhode Island. At these sites, people can get sterile supplies and consume their own drugs under the supervision of trained staff. They have access to overdose reversal medication and medical and social services.
While some see these centers as a way to reduce fatalities and treat people struggling with addiction with dignity, others believe they鈥檙e an inefficient use of limited resources, or that they promote drug use.
In December, Burlington's mayor appointed Theresa Vezina as the city's special assistant for overdose prevention center implementation. Vezina was formerly the executive director of Vermont CARES, a nonprofit that provides harm reduction services and social supports to people with HIV or drug addiction. She shared an update on the project's progress on Vermont Edition.
It's a highly anticipated project
State lawmakers passed a bill in 2024 to create an overdose prevention center, overriding Gov. Phil Scott's veto. The project will be funded by more than a million dollars in settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies.
Prior to the bill's passage, Burlington's mayor and City Council signaled their interest in this approach and their willingness to host the site.
The Vermont Department of Health was tasked by the legislature with creating operating guidelines for the center.
The operator will be announced this month
The city is in the final stages of selecting a local partner organization to operate the facility. Vezina said the announcement will be made this week or early next week.
Once that partnership is finalized, representatives from the city and the partner organization will collect input from a wide swath of people and organizations in the region.
It's too soon to say when it will open or where it will be
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said in June that she hoped the center would open in 2025.
鈥淚 want to make sure we do this right 鈥� that we don't rush things or cut corners,鈥� Mulvaney-Stanak said. 鈥淲e have a great responsibility to the people whose lives that we're trying to save here.鈥�
As for where it will be, Vezina said that decision is still "a lot of steps" away. "Hard to give a date," she said.
They're studying other sites in the U.S. and Canada
Vezina, Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak, and the city's special assistant on public safety visited the overdose prevention center in Providence, R.I., last month. Vezina said they learned about "the trials and tribulations they went through getting their center open, but also how things are going for them, as they had only opened a couple of weeks ago." They are also studying the two centers in New York City.
There are around 40 overdose prevention centers , including a handful over the Vermont border in Montreal.
Note: This episode of Vermont Edition also included a conversation with Dr. David Krag of the University of Vermont Medical Center and Larner College of Medicine, and medical student Ashley Sharma. Dr. Krag is leading a team that's developing a database of research on opioid use disorder.
Broadcast live on Monday, March 10, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on .
