R.I. plans regulated drug use center

PROVIDENCE — A nonprofit street outreach organization is planning to open the state’s first supervised drug use site this summer, the culmination of years of efforts and a couple of changes in plans. It will be the nation’s first state-regulated overdose prevention center, organizers say.

Project Weber/RENEW is teaming up with clinical partner VICTA to open at 45 Willard Ave., a building that’s near Rhode Island Hospital. Such centers were authorized under a 2021 state law. Advocates sometimes call them overdose prevention centers, or harm reduction centers. They’re also sometimes known as safe injection sites.

Whatever the name, the idea is similar: People can bring in substances to use under the supervision of professionals who can prevent or reverse an overdose. People can also test their drugs for fentanyl and other adulterants while getting other resources — including, if they’re ready for it, recovery services. New York City opened similar sites in 2021. When Rhode Island passed its law, it became the first state — rather than city — to authorize them.

The center’s planned opening comes as Rhode Island has seen record-high levels of fatal overdoses in the last few years, driven by the abundance of fentanyl and other opioids in the drug supply. More than 430 Rhode Islanders died in 2021 and 2022, both the highest on record, according to state data.

“This overdose prevention center is a pivotal element in the state’s comprehensive efforts to combat this crisis,” Colleen Daley Ndoye, executive director of the nonprofit Project Weber/RENEW, said in a news release announcing the location. “It’s imperative to take decisive action to save lives.”

The idea isn’t new, but the location is. Project Weber/RENEW was previously going to team up with CODAC Behavioral Healthcare to open the supervised drug use site at the CODAC building on Huntington Avenue. But CODAC faced delays in opening a new building, so it wasn’t going to be able to vacate the Huntington Avenue one on time. The legislation authorizing these supervised drug use centers expires in 2026, so time was of the essence.

“CODAC has a 50+ year history of preventing overdose and saving lives,” the organization said in a statement. “We look forward to working with PWR and VICTA.”

VICTA is a privately owned, Providence-based health care center that provides treatment for substance use and mental health care.

Project Weber/RENEW’s peer recovery specialists will be on hand to reverse overdoses under the direction of a medical director, while VICTA will have medical staff, nurses, and counselors available to provide treatment services if people are ready. The center will be open on weekdays. And researchers at The People, Place & Health Collective at Brown University’s School of Public Health will do a rigorous evaluation “to measure the program’s individual and community outcomes,” Project Weber/RENEW said.

“We know that motivation can be fleeting, and that recovery is not linear; we are committed to helping people stay as healthy as possible through every stage in their process,” VICTA chief operating officer Lisa Peterson said in a news release.

The Providence City Council still has to vote to approve the plan. It’s on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, although the council’s Instagram account posted a supportive message about it. From there, the center will have to apply to get a Department of Health license, too.

One statistic that supporters of the plan often point to: There’s never been a fatal overdose at an overdose prevention center.