TOO MUCH TROUBLE? –                                                                                    

Dac. 6, 2024 – Methadone is a drug used to mitigate withdrawal symptoms in people recovering from substance use disorder. The drug, which usually comes in the form of a drinkable liquid, is tightly regulated and can only be dispensed from designated methadone clinics in limited doses.

The facility, which has locations in Bradford and Vergennes, will continue to serve current patients who are on methadone, Kevin Hamel, Valley Vista’s vice president of medical and clinical services, told facility staff in an email Thursday morning. But Valley Vista will no longer accept new patients who use the recovery drug, he said.

In an interview, Hamel said Valley Vista currently has seven patients on methadone, out of a total of 78, across both of its locations. Transporting those patients to and from methadone clinics can cost up to $400 a day, Hamel said, a sum the facility can no longer afford.  

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