The city of Burlington, Vermont has issued a dire newreportdetailing a substantial increase this year in overdose responses by emergency responders.
The report from the city’s BTVstat Data team found that between January and July this year the Burlington Police Department responded to 265 overdoses, surpassing all of 2022’s total. The report notes that from 2015 to 2017 there were six overdose responses per month. The average monthly response in 2023 is 39 and it’s anticipated to reach a total of 500 by the end of the year.
Substance Use Policy Analyst Scott Pavek works in the city’s Community and Economic Development Office. He says the data, based on overdose incident calls to the Burlington Fire or Police Departments, has been increasing during and since the pandemic.
“We’re experiencing increased non-fatal overdoses in Burlington. That’s one of many consequences of an ever increasingly dangerous illicit drug supply. Maybe ten years ago people had a lot more confidence in what substances and what potency of substance they might be acquiring off the street. And nowadays we’re seeing novel psychoactive substances, increased adulteration of non-opioids with opioids, of course the removal of heroin from the illicit drug market almost entirely to be replaced by fentanyl. Just individual incidents of drug use are more health impacting than they were before.”
The Howard Center is the designated preferred provider of substance use services in Chittenden County, where Burlington is located. Executive Director Bob Bick says the city’s numbers raise concern, but lack critical context.
“The increase is initially disturbing when we just look at it from a perspective of pure numbers. But it might be that we’re doing a better job of having individuals who are experiencing an overdose seek the help and support of whether it’s the police department or an emergency medical technicians. So that could be an indication of an improvement in our system’s response. The other thing that we don’t know is what the baseline number of individuals who are currently actively using are. On the face of it the numbers are concerning. There’s no question about it.”
Pavek is among the city officials who say harm reduction efforts must be redoubled and the overdose crisis must again become the state’s primary public health priority.
“We certainly have enough evidence here in Vermont, in my opinion, to have statewide support, legislative support, the Governor’s support for things like overdose prevention sites, safe supply and drug checking programs. I certainly don’t think these trends are going to reverse themselves absent these sort of more comprehensive interventions.”
Bick adds that there is a need across the spectrum of mental health and substance use to prioritize and sufficiently fund the services.
“Frankly right now what’s been happening is the responsibility for that prioritization has fallen on treatment providers and programs that are inadequately funded to meet the demands that they’re expected to meet. Until there’s a true commitment to adequately fund the services, I don’t think you’re going to see a change in the environment.”
The city of Burlington has created an Assistant Director of Crisis, Advocacy, and Intervention who will soon be hired to help coordinate outreach and management of opioid crisis efforts.
