Newport Launches Opioid Safe Stations Program

NEWPORT, RI — Newport has become the latest Rhode Island city to launch a "safe stations" program, which provides support to community members looking who are struggling with opioid addiction. Starting June 28, anyone looking for treatment or recovery services cal stop by one of the city's three fire stations at any time of day for assistance.

Newport Fire Chief Brian Dugan said the city has been planning and training for nearly a year to prepare for the program's launch.

"Any time, day or night, when someone struggling with substance abuse or misuse determines that they need help, they’ll be welcome here to speak to a firefighter on duty and begin their path to recovery," Chief Dugan said. "Our stations will truly be a safe space."

The training process including involving other organizations and members of the community, such as the hope Recovery Center, all 20 members of the Newport Prevention Coalition’s CODE Subcommittee, Providence Safe Stations, the RI Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals and the RI Department of Health.

"We couldn’t be more pleased to be partnering with the City of Newport to confront the opioid crisis head on," said James Day, the coordinator of the Newport Prevention Coalition. "This has been a truly collaborative effort and one which I hope will provide our neighbors experiencing addiction an accessible path to treatment and long-term recovery."

Anyone who seeks assistance through the program will begin by receiving a medical evaluation from a firefighter who will check their vital signs and take any drugs or paraphernalia and dispose of them properly. Next, a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist from the Hope Recovery Center will determine the best next steps to fit the individual's needs.

"Hope Recovery Center is excited to work with the Newport Fire Dept. on this innovative project," said Lori Kosicki, the Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Supervisor. "As we come together to assist members of our community, our hope is to provide 24/7 access to treatment for substance misuse and to support ongoing recovery efforts. The Hope Recovery Center Certified Peer Recovery Specialists are committed to following up, supporting and engaging with them throughout their journey."

Newport is the second city in Rhode Island to launch a safe station program, following Providence, which launched the program in January 2018 and marked its 100th visit on Monday.

"Providence Safe Stations has been the first step to recovery for many struggling with addiction in the capital city," Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said. "We’re excited to reach this milestone with those participants and encouraged by the broad interest in launching similar efforts so that all Rhode Islanders know that they are not alone on their journey to sobriety."

The program will official launch in Newport on June 28, when a ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled at the city's fire department headquarters at 21 Marlborough St. at 4 p.m. That night also marks Newport County Prevention Coalition night at the Newport Gulls baseball game at 6:30 p.m.

More information on the program is available on the Newport fire department's website.