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Turning Point Center of Addison County Expanding Services to Porter & Larger Community

Middlebury–The Turning Point Center of Addison County has developed and expanded access to peer-based recovery support for individuals dealing with substance use issues by establishing a new virtual waiting room and on call support that is available 24-hours a day/7-days a week.

Recovery coaches meet people where they are on their journey to recovery and provide support, encouragement, resources, and connections as part of that process. Coaches support all paths to recovery, harm reduction, and a strength-based approach.

Coaches are not therapists but are trained and certified to offer a unique evidence-based service.  They do not assume the responsibility to diagnose or perform case management.  Coaches take their lived experience, use motivational interviewing skills and ongoing learning and training to assist others in finding their own path to recovery.

Additionally, the Center has collaborated with PMC to establish a program to deploy one of their peer recovery coaches to the Porter Hospital Emergency Department within one-hour of a request being received for assistance with a patient or family member.

“Our relationship with the Porter ED has been active for about 15 months. We are now creating more ways to immediately access a recovery coach including telephone, online video chat or in person” said Turning Point Executive Director Jennifer Mayhew.

“We now have 11 trained and certified recovery coaches, and we are providing weekly recovery coaching to 40 people here in our community at the moment” she added.  “We also are set-up to serve family members as well as individuals with substance use disorder or addictive behavior disorder, and we try to meet people where they are to meet their unique needs.”

According to Mayhew, the Center seeks to enhance the spiritual, mental, physical and social growth of those they serve, and to cultivate hope and success.

Mayhew indicates that this new “Rapid Access” service is the first of its kind among the state’s 12 Turning Point Centers.

“I am so grateful to Porter Medical Center for their support of our program, and I hope that we can build upon our relationship and perhaps even expand it into the Porter primary care network over time,” she said.

Mayhew, who openly shares that she herself is a person in recovery, deeply understands the challenges and importance of this work.  “As people in recovery, we recognize how substance use disorders affect families, relationships, friendships and communities, and we are there for those who need us to help navigate this uncertain and difficult terrain.”


About The University of Vermont Health Network

The University of Vermont Health Network is an academic health system that is comprised of six affiliate hospitals, a multi-specialty medical group, and a home health agency. We serve the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives.  Our partners include:

Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our hospitals remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.