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Richard Rawson: Howard Center’s Safe Recovery program is a place of compassion and hope

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Richard Rawson: Howard Center’s Safe Recovery program is a place of compassion and hope

This comment is from Richard Rawson of Brandon. He is a research professor at UVM’s Vermont Center for Behavior and Health and a professor emeritus in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry.

As Vermont (and the country) continues to experience the worst overdose death crisis in history, the services provided by the Safe Recovery program at the Howard Center in Burlington are increasingly essential. As we approach 2025, the supply of drugs on the streets is far more deadly than it has ever been.

“Dangerous old drugs,” including heroin and cocaine currently sold, are far more deadly due to their combination with fentanyl. Additionally, there are reports of increasing availability of methamphetamine and xylazine, which are also associated with fentanyl. The supply of drugs on the street has become more diverse and infinitely more dangerous.

Safe Recovery is an oasis of help and information for people who use drugs in Chittenden County. I have observed the work done at Safe Recovery over the past 10 years and have spoken with many clients who receive services from Safe Recovery. As an addiction researcher and educator at UCLA and UVM, I have spent 50 years contributing to the development of addiction services in many parts of the world.

Safe Recovery is unique in my travels as a place where people who use drugs can come for help, support, connection, and deep compassion. People who come to Safe Recovery are not always welcome in other areas of the healthcare system due to the stigma associated with active drug use. But in Chittenden County, people know they can recover safely and will not be judged; they will be treated with respect and kindness.

Over the past 50 years of scientific research, we have learned that addiction is a complex brain disease and that some people are unable to recognize that drug use is destroying their lives and harming their communities. For these people, treatment does not currently provide an answer. These people continue to use drugs despite the extreme risk they run. Currently, we do not have the knowledge to attract 100% of people who use drugs to treatment and recovery. However, people’s inability to recognize that they have an addiction and need treatment should not be a death sentence.

Safe Recovery is a place where people who use drugs can seek help. At Safe Recovery, there is no judgment about how clients view their drug use or whether they plan to change their use. Messages provided by Safe Recovery staff include: “We are here for you. We care about you. We want to help you prevent illness and death that can result from drug use. Please come for our services, no lectures, no judgments.

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Safe Recovery offers specific services to help people who seek help. These services include: distribution of naloxone, the overdose-preventing drug that has been used thousands of times in Burlington to reverse overdoses and save lives; distribution of wound care kits to help people who have open wounds resulting from xylazine use and/or injection drug use; distribution of clean syringes that prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including HIV and hepatitis; treatment of opioid use disorder with buprenorphine, delivered in a way that places few demands on participants and makes medication-assisted treatment highly accessible.

The staff and their “unconditional positive regard” towards clients are the heart and “secret sauce” of Safe Recovery. The services provided by Safe Recovery save lives and provide Burlington residents with critically important tools to prevent the worst consequences of drug use. The staff at Safe Recovery have created a place where people can feel accepted, respected and cared for. This is an incredible achievement.

In many parts of the United States, a facility such as Safe Recovery would not be tolerated. The Howard Center’s sponsorship and support of Safe Recovery demonstrates our commitment to helping people who are struggling with serious illness and doing their best. The compassion and connection provided to these individuals by the staff at Safe Recovery is truly inspiring. The people who provide help at Safe Recovery are some of the best among us.