Over the past five years, Vermont has emerged as a national leader in treatment for opioid use disorder. The new system — called the hub and spoke — incorporates addiction treatment into primary care in a comprehensive way not seen anywhere else in the country. In creating this new system, Vermont physicians and health policy leaders have altered public perception of addiction. Instead of shunting patients labeled as “addicts” into a category separate from other disease sufferers, they’re welcomed into an environment that supports them on the journey to recovery. Although challenges remain, the hub and spoke system represents a huge step forward in how opioid use disorder is treated and understood, and stands alone as a national model.>> READ MORE