What's New: Nation's First State-Regulated Overdose Prevention Center Secures Prime Location
Project Weber/RENEW already operates two drop-in centers in Rhode Island. At these spaces, located in Providence and Pawtucket, anyone is welcome to stop by the space, grab a snack or some water, rest, talk with peer staff with lived experience, and pick up harm reduction supplies such as clean syringes and safer smoking kits. In addition, individuals can access referrals for medical care, treatment and detox, attend a support group, or get tested for HIV or hepatitis C, among many other services.
The overdose prevention center we will open in 2024 will offer these same services and add one component: Individuals will be able to bring in pre-obtained drugs and use them on site, under supervision.
Rhode Island legalized the creation of overdose prevention centers in 2021 and the facility we are working toward opening will be the first state-regulated overdose prevention center in the country. Providing a safe, clean space in which someone can use their drugs has been proven to reduce overdose, deaths from overdose, infectious disease, litter, and much more, based on decades of research of such facilities around the world.
With trained medical and peer staff on hand to provide safe supplies, monitor individuals who are using drugs, and giving them a space in which to feel comfortable, they are much more likely to engage in other support services, access healthcare, case management services, and enter recovery. We will partner with another organization to provide treatment services on site so if and when an individual is ready they can easily access the care they need.
We know firsthand too many of our friends, loved ones, and neighbors are dying from overdose. We're committed to working with all of our community partners to ensure this center will set an example for others to follow and will save more lives. If a person is not alive, they cannot make choices that will positively impact their lives.
Overdose prevention centers (also known as harm reduction centers or safe consumption sites) are places with a comprehensive array of resources for people who use substances/drugs to receive services. They are spaces where individuals can go to use pre-obtained substances safely and under supervision, and they effectively prevent overdose deaths. The services are comprehensive and include overdose prevention and connections to treatment and recovery services, peer support, medical care, basic needs, and social services.
We are hoping for the overdose prevention center to be open in 2024. We are working as hard as we can to get it open soon to help bring this life-saving intervention to Rhode Island. At the same time, we are working to ensure we are doing due diligence with renovations, regulations and licensure, oversight, staffing, and operational considerations.
In 2022, 434 Rhode Islanders lost their lives due to overdose. Increasingly, overdoses are impacting Black and Hispanic/Latino/a/x communities. Overdoses are also affecting people using a range of substances, including stimulants such as cocaine, as well as pressed pills. Many overdoses happen when people are alone. When people are alone, no one can call 911 or administer Narcan, a drug that can reverse an overdose. We need more ways to stop these deadly overdoses–and overdose prevention centers are an evidence-based solution. This is especially needed given how toxic the drug supply is now. People who use drugs and in recovery who have a recurrence (relapse) may not be able to survive. No one has ever died of an overdose in one of these facilities across the world in the decades they have been open.
This is legally authorized by a 2021 Rhode Island state law and will be regulated, licensed, and inspected by the RI Department of Health, similar to other medical facilities. In 2023, a state law was passed to extend the pilot program to March 2026. We are also working in close communication with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as the city of Providence.
In other sites around the world, research shows that crime does not increase in the area around overdose prevention centers. One benefit of being close to bus lines is that people will be able to leave the site easily and access our Providence drop-in center. Our services will not be 24/7 upon opening. We will start with limited daytime hours to test out our protocols and operations and make adjustments as needed.
We are looking at a location in Providence that is in a overdose hotspot, as defined by the RI Dept. of Health and data they collect. We are committed to ensuring the location is accessible via public transportation and has minimal impact on any nearby residential neighbors.
There are no taxpayer dollars going to fund the overdose prevention center. The majority of funds are coming from opioid settlement dollars, which were negotiated by RI's attorney general from pharmaceutical companies as reparations for harm caused by prescription opioids. Additional funding is coming from private foundations, grants, and individual donors.
