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Burlington addiction service providers stressed Thursday they are continuing to provide services to those in need, primarily virtually, during the coronavirus pandemic.
The city hosted a town hall which featured representatives from the Howard Center, Turning Point Center of Chittenden County and the Burlington Police Department.
“We are in the throes of a pandemic that none of us have experienced before, and with that pandemic comes many, many concerns about mental health and addiction,” said Jackie Corbally, the BPD’s opioid policy manager.
Gary De Carolis, executive director of the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County, said that the physical isolation caused by social distancing did not need to lead to social isolation.
“Although we’re all separated physically, there are so many mechanisms to get you connected to people, meetings and activities that can keep your recovery moving forward,” he said.
The Turning Point Center, which offers services and programming, has stopped in-person meetings but compiled online resources on its website. The Turning Point Center will be closed for in-person meetings until at least May 15, when Gov. Phil Scott’s stay home order is set to expire, according to its website.
De Carolis said that representatives of the Turning Point Center are available by phone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at 802-861-3150. The center is offering recovery coaching, peer support and activities on Zoom.
The Turning Point Center’s website also has links to virtual Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and other 12-step program meetings. The center has seen a sharp increase in participation in its recovery yoga program since it started offering the program online, De Carolis said.
“There is no reason why you can’t feel connected during this time of physical isolation,” he said.
Grace Keller, a program coordinator of Safe Recovery at the Howard Center, said that social distancing was a higher-risk time for overdoses.
“One of the best tools we have to reduce overdose is making sure someone is not using alone and that they are using with other people,” she said. “Social distancing is essential for COVID-19, but it puts people at a higher risk of overdose.”
Safe Recovery is still offering some services on site after taking precautions for social distancing. Keller said that Safe Recovery was continuing to run its syringe exchange through a window to ensure social distancing.
“We want people to know that those life-saving services are still available to clients and their loved ones,” she said.
Safe Recovery can continue to take people into treatment during the pandemic without seeing people face-to-face, Keller said, and can start buprenorphine over the telephone. Narcan treatment and narcan training is also available from 9 a.m to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Those interested in starting treatment can go to Safe Recovery, call the Howard Center or go to the emergency room and say they need to start treatment, Keller said.
“The access to treatment hasn’t changed, we really are able to get people into treatment right now,” she said.
Social distancing can be a difficult time for mental health, Dr. Richard Bernstein, former chief of psychiatry at UVMMC.
Bernstein said that people should focus on washing their hands, social distancing and covering their noses and mouths. People should also take care of their bodies by sleeping and exercising, he said.
“It’s very common that the stress we feel leads us to abuse both the substances to which we are addicted and do other things,” he said. “We eat more, we smoke more, we drink more.”
Bernstein said people should try to follow a schedule during the pandemic and try to stay in touch with others.
