Vermont opioid treatment highlighted at national forum

In Vermont, the Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction’s “hub and spoke” model helps connect Vermonters struggling with addiction access treatment at one of five “hubs” and nine locations throughout the state.
Last week, the Addiction Policy Forum recognized the Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction’s “hub and spoke” model for weaving together existing infrastructure already dispensing substance use disorder medication and for uniting groups already engaged in addiction treatment.
To date, there are seven regional Opioid Treatment Centers (soon to be eight) known as “hubs” located throughout the state, which are licensed to dispense medication-assisted therapy. Each “hub” has a series of “spokes” – a three-person primary care team with a care coordinator, clinician, and physician. A primary aspect of the program is the wrap-around services provided to the client. Each individual has a unique plan overseen by a doctor and buttressed by the nurses and counselors who connect the client with community-based support services.
“The treatment gap for individuals with addiction in the United States is astounding,” says Jessica Nickel, President of the Addiction Policy Forum. “The Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction’s ‘hub and spoke’ model breaks down existing barriers to local treatment for individuals who need it.”
“As evidenced by high rates of access to treatment, the decrease in overdoses, and the active buy-in from local, state and federal partners, the bright future of this program gives me reason to be optimistic about our efforts to address this public health emergency,” says Deputy Commissioner Barbara Cimaglio of the Vermont Department of Health.
The Addiction Policy Forum is featuring 52 innovative programs in 52 weeks as part of its “Translating Science Into Practice” project.