Showing Stories tagged with: Substance Use Disorder
Displaying 16 - 28 of 28 search results
September 26, 2019
Free Naloxone Kits Dispensed in Emergency Department – No Questions Asked
The emergency departments of Elizabethtown Community Hospital and its Ticonderoga campus recently began providing free naloxone kits, with the drug used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, to anyone who wants them – no questions asked. David Clauss, MD, medical director of both emergency departments, appreciates more than the kits’ potential to save
September 19, 2019
UVM Medical Center Program Provides Alternatives to Medication for Patients with Chronic Pain
Catherine Huskisson spent about three years living with severe pain from fibromyalgia and finding few solutions that helped. Huskisson never liked taking medications and wanted to stay away from opioids to treat her pain. So she asked her primary doctor, “What else can you do for me?” Ultimately, the doctor referred Huskisson to the new
August 6, 2019
“People are using substances like opioids to manage the pain of life. Sometimes, the pain people experience are understandable reactions to life adversity.”
In the past few decades, public discourse regarding mental illness and drug use has been centered on a conceptualization of these problems as “illnesses like any other.” This focus on brain disorder was well intentioned; the hope was that this would replace moral blame and therefore encourage people to seek treatment. However, there are unintended
July 2, 2019
Caring for the Most Vulnerable Victims of the Opioid Crisis: Newborns
Alice Hyde nurses recount their experience with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Registered Nurse Courtnee Davenport has cared for newborn children and mothers at University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center for a decade. But she can remember her worst brush with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) like it was yesterday. That morning the
June 20, 2019
“I really love this job, because it helps deepen my own recovery.”
Hilary Denton, a Peer Recovery Coach with Turning Point Center of Central Vermont, describes her work supporting patients struggling with substance use disorders who seek treatment in the Emergency Department at UVM Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center. As a recovery coach, I come into the hospital and meet with patients who are struggling
May 29, 2019
Innovative Local Partnership Attracts New Funding to Support Addiction Recovery Efforts
UVM Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center secures new grant to continue innovative response to opioid crisis in partnership with the Washington County Substance Abuse Regional Partnership.
April 23, 2019
Alcohol Use Disorder: What Are the Signs That You Have a Problem?
Alcohol use is part of the American culture and its recreational landscape. Recreational use does not require a secret contact member, or a drive to the vendor in the inner city. It is the universally acceptable way “we enjoy ourselves” at the backyard barbeque, the neighborhood party, and the family celebration. Non-drinkers must courageously exclude
April 15, 2019
Why I Support Tobacco 21
The Vermont legislature is considering several bills which will make it more difficult for teens to access tobacco products and tobacco substitutes, such as e-cigarettes and vaping products. These include: The restriction of internet sales of vaping products; A new tax on e-cigarettes and vaping products; and A bill to raise the age to purchase
April 1, 2019
Grant fuels research and expansion of rapid-access medication assisted treatment at UVM Health Network hospitals
People ready to begin the journey of treatment for opioid use disorder now have a new place to start: In the Emergency Department.
April 1, 2019
“I Never Meant to Become a Heroin Addict”
We are all connected. We see it everywhere. We see that the health of our community relies on the well-being of everyone in it, and that each person’s health is connected to the health of their families. All of this is another way of saying that we have to be here for each other. That
April 1, 2019
“We have to own our piece of it and hold each other accountable.”
Stephen Leffler, MD, shares his perspective on how we got here, what seems to be working and what challenges lie ahead. Watch the video highlight or read the full interview.
April 1, 2019
"We are working to address prevention, treatment access, recovery supports and employment for people with substance use disorders."
Chittenden County Opioid Alliance looks to make a substantial and sustained impact on the opioid crisis, but they can’t do it alone. Read an interview with Christine Johnson, the Executive Director of the organization.
January 4, 2019
Statement on 24 Hour Spike in Overdose Cases to the Emergency Department
Public statement by Eileen Whalen, MHA, RN, president of The University of Vermont Medical Center. It is disappointing that on the fourth day of this New Year, we are gathered to discuss a significant increase in the number of opioid-related overdoses seen at the University of Vermont Medical Center’s Emergency Department. At 6 a.m. this