Route Fifty, a digital publication covering a variety of topics under the state and local government umbrella, published an article about the nation’s first state-regulated overdose prevention center opening in Rhode Island later this year. The center will help link individuals to vital social programs and behavioral health services. The publication cites CPE’s report on “Redesigning Public Safety: Substance Use,” which provides recommendations on effective public health-based approaches to substance use response and prevention, and interviews the reports co-author, Charlotte Resing, Manager of Government Affairs at CPE:
At least 16 other states and cities are moving to authorize or are considering authorizing OPCs, according to a recent report from the Center for Policing Equity. Vermont lawmakers are considering a bill approved by the House that would authorize the creation of two OPCs in the state.
With the opioid crisis worsening, it’s not totally surprising to see states start to show support for overdose prevention centers, also called safe injection sites or harm reduction centers, said Charlotte Resing, manager of government affairs at the Center for Policing Equity.
“They have looked at the evidence and wanted to use the [opioid settlement money] in a way that was going to save the most lives … and combat the problem from the core,” she said.
Read the article on Route Fifty’s website.