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Howard Center sues opioid manufacturers after being ‘flooded with patients’
The Howard Center Chittenden Clinic. Photo by Phoebe Sheehan/for VTDigger BURLINGTON — The Howard Center, a local addiction and health treatment center, filed suit Tuesday against opioid drug...
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Shooting death of Burlington man by police was preventable, report finds
Ralph “Phil” Grenon was killed by a police officer in Burlington in March 2016. Photo courtesy Niki Carpenter A state report has determined that the death of Phil Grenon, the 76-year-old man shot and...
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Telemedicine becomes a new normal amid COVID-19 pandemic
Telemedicine is a crucial link for patients and practitioners during the coronavirus crisis. VTDigger is posting regular updates on the coronavirus in Vermont on this page. You can also subscribe here...
View ArticleBob Bick: Pandemic’s effects on mental health
Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bob Bick, of Shelburne, who is CEO of Howard Center. The community’s response to the Covid-19 crisis has been monumental. Our neighbors in the medical professions...
View ArticleBob Bick: Growing understanding at Howard Center
Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bob Bick, of Shelburne, who is CEO of Howard Center. Over the past few months, our lives at work and at home have been upended by Covid-19. We have experienced a...
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Overdoses rise at ‘alarming’ rate in Burlington and Vermont amid pandemic
Opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone, or Narcan. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger BURLINGTON— The number of drug overdoses is rapidly increasing in Burlington and across the state as Covid-19...
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Brandon del Pozo on forgiveness, his media rebranding and moving forward from...
Brandon del Pozo, former Burlington police chief, is shown last week in Burlington. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Former Burlington police chief Brandon del Pozo doesn’t need your forgiveness to...
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Drug ODs are up as the state faces more quarantines
A sign advertises daily Zoom meetings at Brattleboro’s Turning Point recovery center. However, many clients do not have cellphones or internet access. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger BURLINGTON — In...
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Northern Vermont U. to use federal money to boost remote services statewide
The campus of Northern Vermont University-Lyndon in Lyndonville. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Northern Vermont University plans to use almost half a million federal dollars to set up...
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Ex-Burlington police chief steps down from Howard Center board
Brandon del Pozo, former Burlington police chief, has resigned from the board of the Howard Center. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Former Burlington police chief Brandon del Pozo has stepped down...
View ArticleMike Reilly: Vermont shows the way on labor fairness for people with...
This commentary is by Mike Reilly, development coordinator at Champlain Community Services (www.ccs-vt.org). March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, a good time to reflect on the...
View ArticleBob Bick: Mental health intervention, police, and the seeds of change
This commentary is by Bob Bick of Shelburne, CEO of Howard Center, Vermont’s largest designated agency. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, between 5% and 15%...
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As kids wait for mental health care, their parents cry for help
From left to right, Ashley, Jeremiah and Janet at Wellwood Orchards in October 2020. Courtesy photo For Janet, a Brattleboro mom, parenting was hard enough before Covid-19. Her 8-year-old adopted son...
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Nonprofit counseling services hit hard by staff shortages
Vermont is facing an acute shortage of workers in mental health agencies and in community health centers in the midst of a pandemic. United Counseling Service, the leading mental health agency in...
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Pod plan for those experiencing homelessness gets tentative OK from...
A rendering provided to the Development Review Board of what a pod would look like. Image courtesy of the Burlington Community and Economic Development Office Burlington’s effort to create a community...
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Despite continued barriers, Burlington tries to chart path for ‘overdose...
Burlington City Councilor Joe Magee said a safe injection site downtown or in the Old North End would be ideal because overdoses have been concentrated in those parts of the city. File photo by Glenn...
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With state funding, Burlington moves closer to launching a mental health...
Burlington is moving closer to launching a a new crisis response team run by the Howard Center Photo by Patrick Crowley/VTDigger With a state grant assured, Burlington is moving closer to a rollout...
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Record staffing shortage leads Howard Center to reduce ‘crisis beds’
The Howard Center, which has a staff of 1,600 when fully staffed, is trying to fill 197 full-time and part-time positions and 220 substitute vacancies — the highest since the start of the pandemic....
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High number of overdoses continues to plague Burlington
Opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone, or Narcan. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger Burlington officials have called the city’s recent opioid overdose figures “alarming,” as numbers that spiked...
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Full Disclosure: Lawmakers serve on the boards of nonprofits they fund
Sen. Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia, confers with colleagues on the Senate floor at the Statehouse in Montpelier on March 22. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger As chair of the Senate Appropriations...
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After disagreements with city, Howard Center will no longer run Burlington’s...
A spokesperson for Mayor Miro Weinberger said in an emailed statement Wednesday that the city still considers the Howard Center a “critical partner” but it “unfortunately was not able to reach...
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Facing budget woes, Howard Center to cut programs, including Centerpoint school
Facing what it called “difficult choices,” the Howard Center has announced cuts to four programs, including the Centerpoint school. “The cumulative effects of years of underfunding in Medicaid...
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Burlington has already exceeded last year’s overdose totals
Map showing locations Burlington officials responded to overdoses from 2022 to 2023. Courtesy City of Burlington Reported overdoses in Burlington have reached “unprecedented heights” and have already...
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Xylazine strips will be added to state’s toolkit for opioid overdose prevention
Xylazine test strips. Photo via the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Strips that check for the presence of the animal tranquilizer xylazine in street drugs could soon become...
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Mental health urgent care takes root in Vermont
Access Hub Clinician Mark Perry is seen at the mental health provider’s relaxation room in Montpelier on Wednesday. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger The Access Hub, newly opened in downtown Montpelier,...
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Final Reading: Vermont schools and nonprofits struggle to meet student mental...
Photo by Element5 Digital via Pexels Legislators packed into Room 9 to hear testimony about the increasing prevalence and severity of student mental health needs, and the decreasing ability of...
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Rev. Devon Thomas: Clergy in favor of overdose prevention centers
This commentary is by the Rev. Devon Thomas. He serves the Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington. As a minister in Vermont, I find that the realities of our state’s opioid crisis are...
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Howard Center suspends some substance abuse programs, citing staffing shortages
The Howard Center. Photo by Patrick Crowley/VTDigger The Howard Center has shut down two substance abuse programs, citing staffing and other unspecified “challenges,” the nonprofit said Thursday. The...
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Bill Schubart: A legislative and media initiative to give voice to our young...
By its own description, H.714, currently in the Legislature: “… proposes to create the two-year Child and Youth Representation Policy Fellowship Program and a related fellowship position to engage in...
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Bob Bick: Howard Center will continue to adapt and thrive
This commentary is by Bob Bick. He has served Howard Center for over 30 years, including the past decade as CEO. With my retirement from Howard Center just days away, I should be daydreaming about...
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