ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (WCAX) – Hundreds came together today at the Champlain Valley Expo to discuss the future of Vermont’s substance use recovery plan.
Vermont’s health commissioner shared data about substance use deaths and trends in the Green Mountain state.
He addressed the contentious issue of Medicaid underfunding in residential treatment facilities and said folks should be able to stay at the facilities longer than the two weeks Medicaid allows.
Organizers advocated for the need to combine recovery resources with neighboring states as well as for political awareness and more recovery beds.
“How people recover, is they get love, and it’s not a fleeting moment of an emotion or a warm fuzzy, it’s a decision that follows up with action,” said 2024 Coming Together: Addiction Summit Co-Chair Melinda White.
Booths lined the halls outside the conference, offering resources to those seeking harm reduction, prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
The annual event plans to return next year.