Updated May 2019

There were 17 opioid-related emergency department visits at the University of Vermont Medical Center Emergency Department in January 2019. This is the highest number of opioid-related emergency department visits in the month of January since 2015. This unusual spike may be attributed to a "bad batch" of heroin/fentanyl that contributed to many overdoses in the first week of January. In 2018, the number of opioid-related emergency department visits exceeded the 2015-2017 averages by month, but were not higher than the maximum visits seen each month. The highest peak in 2018 was observed in July with 23 Emergency Department visits for opioid-related events. More opioid-related emergency department visits occur in the spring and summer months compared to the fall and winter months. Data on overdose related incidents collected from SIREN, the Emergency Medical Services dataset, has similar seasonal trends. 

• University of Vermont Medical Center
• Chittenden County EMS Providers
• Chittenden County Police Departments

• Emergency Department-initiated Buprenorphine/Naloxone treatment for opioid dependence [1]
• Peer recovery coaches in the Emergency Department [2]