BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont corrections officials are ramping up efforts to get addiction recovery coaches in more prisons. It comes as data shows 70 percent of inmates in Vermont are battling addiction.
Recovery centers across the state are working with the Vermont Department of Corrections to make sure inmates can access the care they need to get clean.
The recovery coach model has been seen as a success since it was implemented at the UVM Medical Center. Now, advocates at the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County want to bring the program behind bars.
“Statistics show that a high percentage of individuals who are incarcerated are struggling with some form of substance use disorder. If there is no immediate support for them while they are incarcerated — also while they are returning to the community — then there is also a high probability of them dying,” said Turning Point’s Cameron Lauf.
The DOC is using more than a million dollars for other recovery centers to connect with inmates as well. Officials say around 1,000 people in custody are given buprenorphine, a medication-assisted treatment for opioid use.
“Some of the research shows it can be anywhere from 10 to one 129 times the risk. So, as folks are releasing from state custody, that’s a really vulnerable place for folks. If we can help get folks access, we think we can help people not just during their incarceration, but as they release into communtities, help make sure that they are successful,” said DOC’s Isaac Dayno.
While some recovery coach programs like UVM’s were put on hold during the pandemic, Turning Point says they have had positive results since implementing the prison program in 2016. “You really have to have somebody that has a number of years in recovery and can handle going into a correctional facility to meet one-to-one with any individual that wants it, because the impact is very hard on the recovery coach,” said Turning Point’s Tracie Hauck.
Nearly 200 inmates have taken part in the Rutland program and state officials have asked the team to help develop the guide on how it can be expanded to other prisons.