Impact of Providence’s Overdose Prevention Center on Drug Users

A nonprofit is opening a facility where people can use drugs under medical supervision. It also offers connections to drug treatment

More than 400 people died of a drug overdose in Rhode Island in 2023.
More than 400 people died of a drug overdose in Rhode Island in 2023.
Jeremy Bernfeld / The Public’s Radio
Share
More than 400 people died of a drug overdose in Rhode Island in 2023.
More than 400 people died of a drug overdose in Rhode Island in 2023.
Jeremy Bernfeld / The Public’s Radio
Impact of Providence’s Overdose Prevention Center on Drug Users
Copy

Jason first started using fentanyl a few years ago, when the pandemic threw his life off balance. By now, he’s used to hiding his drug use.

“You duck into, like, an alley, or behind a car or somewhere where no one’s going to see you,” he said.

The Public’s Radio is only using Jason’s first name because he uses illegal drugs. He knows that using alone, in tucked-away places, makes it even riskier to use a drug as dangerous as fentanyl.

“When no one sees you, no one’s going to find you if you overdose,” he said. “And, you know, I’ve lost a few friends, and no one’s found them.”

That’s the problem a new facility is hoping to solve.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

‘AI is one of the most transformative technologies that we will all experience in our lifetime, and Rhode Island is being proactive’
The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council praises slowing the rate of spending. It opposes raising taxes on millionaires
Find Rhode Island weekend events, including dance performances in East Greenwich, author talks, Providence restaurant week deals and a statewide brew fest
Life Science Hub CEO Mark Turco discusses job creation, competition and whether the state entered the biotech race too late
The stay marks the fourth time a federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s effort to halt offshore wind construction
State Rep. Megan Cotter has introduced legislation to incentivize school districts to build regional partnerships