The Opioid Coordination Council (OCC) was created by Gov. Phil Scott in January 2017 to identify best practices and strategies for communities to address opioid addiction, break the generational cycle of substance use disorder and the stigma associated with it, and support long-term recovery.
In June 2019, the Vermont Legislature passed, and Gov. Scott signed into law, S. 146, creating the Substance Misuse Prevention Oversight and Advisory Council. In July 2019 this new council replaced the OCC, the Vermont Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council and the Tobacco Evaluation Review Board. The new council expands focus to all substances, and bring special attention to prevention.
This webpage contains reports and meeting materials from the OCC’s two years of engagement with state, regional and local leaders, service organizations and people affected by the opioid crisis. While the OCC has made much progress, it is with the knowledge that much remains to be done to turn the curve on Vermont’s substance misuse challenges and to improve prevention efforts toward the health and well-being of all Vermonters.
Building Bridges: Opioid coordination council recommended strategies for 2019
The Opioid Coordination Council’s (OCC) 2019 report builds upon its initial strategy recommendations released in 2018. For 2019, the OCC recommends strategies that continue to focus and build upon broad, comprehensive supports in the areas of prevention, treatment, recovery and enforcement, and initiates a focus on intervention as an ongoing core area.
2019 Recommended Strategies
Read the Executive Summary
Read the Full Report
2018 Recommended Strategies Report
opioid video series
Understanding Vermont's Opioid Crisis: Working Together to Create a More Resilient Community
A collaborative eight-part opioid series exploring substance use disorder in Vermont
Housing: A Critical Link to Recovery – An Assessment of the Need for Recovery Residences in Vermont (Executive Summary). Read the summary
Safe Injection Facilities - OCC report to the Senate Judiciary Committee, October 2018. Read the report
These recommendations primarily follow the pathways of policy, programs, infrastructure, and investment. Learn more about drivers and pathways to effect change
Governor Scott created the position of Director of Drug Prevention Policy and the Vermont Opioid Coordination Council in his second Executive Order (#02-17, updated in #09-17) on January 5, 2017. The Council’s first meeting was on May 8, 2017.
In the executive order, Governor Scott charged the Council “to lead and strengthen Vermont’s response to the opiate crisis by ensuring full interagency and intra-agency coordination between state and local governments in the areas of prevention, treatment, recovery and law enforcement activities.”
Governor Scott's three-pronged approach is to:
- Reduce the demand for opioids through education, building strong families and neighborhoods, and increasing economic and job opportunities;
- Afford adequate and effective treatment and recovery opportunities to those addicted to opioids; and
- Reduce the supply of opioids through robust and coordinated law enforcement targeting drug traffickers and through preventing diversion of prescription opioids.
The Council provided its first set of recommended strategies to Gov. Scott in January 2018, and continued to work with state agencies and departments, local governments, and community organizations to make improvements in the highest priories of these strategies. The Council’s final report in January 2019 called for a focus on prevention, and additional priorities in integration and coordination of services. Many of these improvements in prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services are reflected in intra- and inter-agency working groups, and projects taken on by private and public collaborations.
Opioid Overdose Awareness Event, April 11, 2018
Workforce Summit, April 17, 2017
Home visiting, a first step for a healthier future, vermontbiz, February 27, 2018
The OCC conducted its concluding meeting on May 17, 2019. Committee meeting notes will continue to be added until further notice.
Meeting Minutes
Click on the council member's name to read their biography.
|
council Member |
Term Expiration |
Seat Requirements |
|---|---|---|
|
4/30/2019 |
Vermont Mayors’ Coalition |
|
|
N/A |
Commissioner of Public Safety (tri-chair) |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment Professional |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Designated Agency |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems |
|
|
1/1/2019 |
First Responder |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Educator in Substance Abuse Prevention |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
At-large Business |
|
|
Scott Cooney |
5/20/2019 |
First Responder |
|
4/30/2019 |
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Vermont Association of Chiefs of Police |
|
|
N/A |
Vermont Attorney General |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Local non-profit housing organization |
|
|
N/A |
Secretary of Human Services (tri-chair) |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Judicial Branch |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Community Leader (tri-chair) |
|
|
N/A |
Commissioner of Health |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Vermont Association for Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Vermont Sheriffs’ Association |
|
| Christina Nolan, U.S. Attorney, Vermont | N/A |
U.S. Attorney, District of Vermont |
|
4/30/2019 |
At-large |
|
|
4/30/2019 |
Vermont League of Cities and Towns |
The Council’s 2019 work will be informed by a Prevention Committee, and a committee on Intervention, Treatment & Recovery. These committees will engage a cross-section of state agencies and departments, providers, the private sector and other stakeholders to further the development and implementation of the 2019 strategies.
Prevention committee
The Prevention Committee’s work will address the 2019 strategies:
A. Establish and sustain a statewide infrastructure for primary and secondary prevention to ensure consistent and equitable leadership, programming, and use of resources. This includes: 1) an investment model (priority strategy); 2) a statewide prevention committee; 3) a statewide prevention leadership position; and 4) strengthening prevention networks, coalitions and collaboratives.
B. Implement statewide comprehensive school-based prevention.
C. Increase geographic equity and access to afterschool programs and out-of-school activities.
D. Implement a statewide multi-generation prevention care approach to promote protective factors and identify risks including substance use disorder, through screening and sustained home visits, for pregnant and parenting women and their children (priority strategy).
| 2019 prevention committee | ||
|---|---|---|
| MEETING DATE |
AGENDA, NOTES |
materials |
| May 22, 2019 | Notes |
Health Commissioner Presentation |
| March 27, 2019 | Agenda Notes |
Regional Prevention Partnership Grants |
| 2018 prevention strategies committee | ||
|---|---|---|
| MEETING DATE |
AGENDA, NOTES |
materials |
| October 24, 2018 | Notes | |
| September 20, 2018 | Notes | |
| August 23, 2018 | Notes | |
| July 26, 2018 | ||
| June 28, 2018 | Agenda, Notes | Prevention Strategies Committee Early Childhood Panel slides |
| May 24. 2018 | Building Bright Futures OCC Prevention Strategies Committee | |
| April 26, 2018 | Agenda, Notes |
|
2019 Intervention, treatment and recovery committee (ITR)
Next meeting of the Intervention, Treatment and Recovery Committee:
Wednesday, October 23, 9 – 11:00 a.m.
The Intervention, Treatment and Recovery Committee’s work will address the 2019 strategies:
Intervention
A. Expand and reinforce syringe services programs statewide.
B. Build a human bridge of intervention where services engage people with addiction at critical moments of risk/harm (injection, overdose, withdrawal, illness and injury). These services include law enforcement, emergency departments, syringe services programs, primary care, and other clinical settings.
Treatment
A. Vermont must continue to evaluate, improve quality, and increase treatment capacity as needed, particularly outcomes measurement and evaluation of capacity and scope of services in the Hub and Spoke treatment system for opioid use disorder provides.
B. Continue implementing the expansion of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in correctional facilities, including refinement of intake assessment, data collaboration, and recovery supports within and beyond the facilities.
Recovery
Build and support the Recovery Bridge: Integrate recovery services across Vermont to ensure access to robust recovery supports is available to all in need (priority strategy). This includes the sub-strategies of recovery-friendly housing availability, employment in recovery supports, recovery coach workforce development, and transportation process and service improvements.
| 2019 intervention, treatment and recovery committee | ||
|---|---|---|
| MEETING DATE |
AGENDA, NOTES |
materials |
| December 18, 2019 | ||
| October 23, 2019 | ||
| August 28, 2019 | ||
| June 26, 2019 | ||
|
April 24, 2019 |
Notes | Presentation |
| 2018 Recovery strategies Committee | ||
|---|---|---|
| MEETING DATE |
AGENDA, NOTES |
materials |
| September 20, 2018 | Notes | |
| August 2, 2018 | ||
| June 21, 2018 | Agenda | |
| May 17, 2018 | Agenda | |
| April 19, 2018 | Agenda, Notes |
Vermont Department of Corrections Transitional Housing  Vermont Foundation of Recovery State Policy Guide for Supporting Recovery Housing Homeless Prevention Center's Handouts
|
| March 22, 2018 | Agenda, Notes | |
| February 21, 2018 | Agenda, Notes |
|
Sarah Gregorek
Vermont Department of Health
108 Cherry Street
Burlington, VT 05402
Sarah.Gregorek@vermont.gov