As a social worker who lives in Brattleboro, I fully support our town becoming a site for an overdose prevention center (OPC).
For nearly 10 years, I have worked as a health educator and then as a social worker with teenagers grappling with the devastating effects of addiction and recovery on their parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, beloved community members, friends, and chosen family.
A through-line message that I have heard over and over from these youth: If it were up to me, I would create a treatment center here in my community.
I would make sure that it would be a comfortable place without any judgment so that people struggling with addiction wouldn't fear getting the help they need.
Internationally, safe injection sites have reduced the risk of overdose, death, and the spread of infectious diseases. They have increased public safety and decreased public drug injection or nuisance.
Sites link people to medical care, expedite social services that help them quit using, and aim to reduce the stigma associated with drug use that often prevents people from seeking help.
Liem Berman
Brattleboro
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.