The Vermont Cynic JANUARY 30, 2018
VOL. 134 – ISSUE 18
VTCYNIC.COM
State of Addiction Legal injection sites put on hold Meg Trogolo Staff Writer A bill that would make it legal to inject heroin in certain places in Burlington has been tabled for 2018. The Vermont State Senate put aside the proposed legislation that would legalize these spaces — known as “safe injection sites” — and limit the drug-related charges that could be brought against people who use or work at them. Safe injection sites provide sterile syringes, have medical professionals on-scene and encourage users to take advantage of options for addiction treatment, according to the Canadian Center on Substance Abuse. Opioid abuse has impacted Vermont in recent years. More than 106 people died from drug related overdoses in 2016,
according to the Vermont Department of Health. The number of Vermont emergency room visits related to heroin in 2016 had grown to three and a half times what it had been in 2012. What many students don’t realize is that the opioid crisis has affected the UVM community in addition to the larger Vermont population, said Amy Boyd Austin, director for the Catamount Recovery Program. CRP is a program that helps UVM students recovering from substance addiction. UVM has had issues with opioid use. In 2009, then-junior Will Gates died of a heroin overdose. Heroin continues to plague Vermont residents in Chittenden County. Forty-eight percent of people treated for substance abuse in 2015 were treated for opioid-related issues in the county, according
to a health department report. “It’s time to tune in and recognize that our students need more help,” Austin said. “These are not moral failings. Substance abuse disorders are an illness and should be treated as an illness just like any other.” CRP has worked with the Center for Health and Wellbeing to make Narcan, a medication which counteracts the effects of opioid overdoses, available to students, Austin said. CHWB also refers students who have been in treatment for opioid abuse to CRP, which aids them in recovering, she said. State and local officials have been debating the possibility of safe injection sites for drug users since early 2017, said Sarah George, state attorney for Chittenden County.
Students mourn junior’s death Joey Waldinger Assistant News Editor Friends and coworkers gathered in the Livak ballroom Jan. 25 to celebrate the life of junior Nate Winschel. Winschel died at his home in Pittsburgh, PA on Jan. 6, according to a Jan. 9 email sent by Annie Stevens, vice provost for student affairs. Winschel was a junior anthropology major and worked in the Davis Center, a job that suited his caring, friendly demeanor, said Lina Balcom, assistant director for Davis Center Operations. When Winschel first started working at the Davis Center, he felt like somewhat of an outsider because he was the only first-year on staff. But he quickly became integral to the crew, beloved by all who worked there, Balcom said. Since he died, Davis Center staff has come “to share their experience about how great he was,” she said. Winschel stood up for what
he believed in, Balcom said. Once, a man at the Davis Center information desk was making lewd comments about women in the room, and Winschel refused to shrug off this behavior and sought Balcom’s help in handling the situation, she said. “Nate didn’t accept it, he challenged the man on his behavior,” Balcom said. When not working, Winschel could often be found playing basketball or watching documentaries. Watching Jeopardy was one of his passions, said senior Connor Demody, a friend of Winschel’s. “We’d be sitting there watching...and while the guy was reading the question, Nate would already know the answer,” Dermody said. Senior Camila Broccolo laughed while reminiscing on how she and Winschel would text each other about the cooking show Chopped. Though always in “a jolly mood,” Dermody said, Winschel was also very deep. “He was selfless, intelligent.
COURTESY/Vermont Department of Health Narcan, an anti-overdose drug. Student Health Services provides Narcan to community members for free and anonymous use. George organized a commission exploring the idea of safe injection sites for drug users in response to an increase in Vermont opioid-related deaths in 2016, she said. The commission found that the only safe injection site in North America — in Vancouver, Canada — has been operating
Nate Winschel in May 2014. Winschel died at his home in Pittsburgh, Pa Jan. 6.
He was like an old soul,” Broccolo said. Just about every conversation with Winschel was worthwhile, Dermody said. “He was just one of those people...to elicit a smile when you think of him,” Balcom said.
Safe Injections cont. on page 2
Medical center will now offer elective abortions Kassondra Little Senior Staff Writer
Photo from Facebook
since 2003. It has recorded no overdose fatalities, George said. Medical professionals, law enforcement officers, representatives from Vermont CARES and Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform,
The University of Vermont Medical Center has begun offering elective abortions. The change is a reversal from the hospital’s 45-year policy of only providing abortions in cases of medical necessity, according to a Jan. 25 Burlington Free Press article. In September, the University of Vermont Medical Center voted to make elective abortions available. The policy includes the UVM Health Network facilities with the exception of Fanny Allen Campus in Colchester. This location is owned by Covenant Health, a Catholic health network. The Fanny Allen Campus will not offer elective abortion as it is against the Catholic faith, according to the Free Press article. Ellen Kane, spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, said she was
surprised at the lack of “public disclosure” surrounding the policy change. For 45 years, the UVM Medical Center only performed abortions when it was medically indicated, according to the article. The decision to change the policy was unanimous following the suggestion from UVM Medical Center staff, according to a Jan. 27 Rutland Herald article. The policy change was not publicly announced per the hospital policy, UVM Medical Center spokeswoman said to the Burlington Free Press. Junior Juls Sundberg said they are surprised that elective abortions haven’t always been offered at the medical center. “It’s a woman’s right to choose, and a hospital should be a place where women can safely elect to get an abortion. Cosmetic surgery is offer there, and that’s ‘elective’,” Sundberg said.