BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington officials continue to try to figure out which new tactics work to address the city’s substance use crisis.
The mayor’s office on Tuesday released new data.
They say 2022 and 2023 saw record numbers of overdose responses and overdose deaths in Burlington, so the city worked to find new solutions to its worsening opioid problem.
Mayor Miro Weinberger says overdose responses since October are down compared to the same time last year. He attributes that to a patchwork of initiatives such as the fire department’s critical response team dedicated to overdose prevention and response, a reentry and recovery center at the Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, and the police department’s drug unit to help dampen the impact of harmful drugs on the community.
“For almost a six-month period now, we have seen a change in the trends. We’ve seen the amount of city response to overdose calls dropped by about half for going all the way back to September now. No guarantee that this continues, but we’re hopeful about it,” said Weinberger, D-Burlington.
Burlington EMTs will start to administer the withdrawal-curbing drug buprenorphine at the site of overdoses to help victims immediately without having them go to the hospital.
The mayor also continues to push for Burlington to receive $2 million in state opioid settlement funds for expanded access to methadone treatment.
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