Vermont
Vermont’s largest substance use rehab facility will no longer accept patients on methadone – VTDigger
Valley Vista, Vermont’s largest substance use disorder rehabilitation facility, will no longer take patients on methadone, an administrator said Thursday.
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.
“The cost of staffing is going up,” he said. “The cost for us to be able to provide health insurance for employees is significantly going up this year.”
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.
That means patients who take the drug during recovery must return regularly to methadone clinics. Valley Vista’s Bradford patients travel to St. Johnsbury — about half an hour away — and Vergennes patients must make the roughly 45-minute trip to Burlington to get methadone treatment, Hamel said.
Valley Vista’s change in policy comes amid an apparent disagreement with state regulators over reimbursement for transportation to and from methadone clinics.
In his email to Valley Vista staff Thursday, Hamel wrote, “We recognize that this is an underserved population; however, the reality is that the State of Vermont is unwilling to cover the transportation costs for patients to receive their doses.”
The situation appears to be more complex, however.
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Vermont Medicaid will pay for transportation to clinics, but only if the vehicles are “operated by a state contractor or subcontractor, in order to adhere to regulations regarding licensure and safety,” Alex McCracken, a spokesperson for the Department of Vermont Health Access, said in an email.
Under those rules, patients have access to various public transit operators across the state.
But Hamel, of Valley Vista, said riding on public transit could lead to safety concerns for the facility’s patients, and that schedules didn’t always line up. It’s safer and more effective for Valley Vista to have staff members drive patients and supervise their trips, he said.
“It’s best to be in a closed environment with our staff bringing them, who are familiar with them, are aware of what’s going on with them,” Hamel said. “And can keep an eye on them to make sure that they’re not talking with other people at the clinic, to make sure that there’s nothing going on there.”
But Valley Vista is not eligible for Medicaid reimbursement if it drives patients on its own, which means the rehab center is footing the bill with no help from Medicaid. About 80% of Valley Vista’s patients are on Vermont Medicaid, according to Hamel.
From 2021 through mid-2023, the state Department of Health provided Valley Vista with Covid-19 funding for patients’ transportation to and from methadone clinics.
But that money, which came from federal Covid-19 pandemic aid, “was always intended to be a short-term solution,” Kyle Casteel, a spokesperson for the Vermont Department of Health, said in an email.
Valley Vista could “use a transportation vendor whose expense is reimbursable through Medicaid or to obtain a new license for onsite methadone treatment from the (federal Drug Enforcement Administration),” Casteel said. “These options remain open to Valley Vista at this time and the Health Department is prepared to support Valley Vista should it choose to pursue either of these options.”
Since his email to staff Thursday morning, Hamel said Valley Vista and the state have set up a meeting next week to discuss the situation.
Until then, however, the decision could create another barrier for Vermonters seeking treatment for substance use disorder.
“Vermonters continue to struggle with accessing the type of residential treatment that they need,” Christopher Smith, the chief clinical officer at the nonprofit Spectrum Youth and Family Services, said in an interview Thursday.
“As a community, as a state, we need to put effort into building the residential treatment that’s going to work for all Vermonters,” Smith said. “And that means addressing appropriate funding and appropriate services that meet the needs of people who have addiction issues.”
Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14
Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.
Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)
Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.
Key Stats
- Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.
- Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.
- Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.
- Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.
- Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.
How It Happened
- The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.
- Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.
- The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.
- Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.
- Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.
- Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.
- The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.
Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.
Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.
Is creativity the missing key to better health?
Research suggests creative activities like art, music and crafts may benefit mental health as much as other key health habits.
Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.
Plus, it has another within the top 15.
Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.
The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.
To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.
Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.
South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11
South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15
Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.
Happiest cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 happiest cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Fremont, California – 74.09
- Bismarck, North Dakota – 73.11
- Scottsdale, Arizona – 71.36
- South Burlington, Vermont – 70.15
- Fargo, North Dakota – 69.36
- Overland Park, Kansas – 68.45
- Charleston, South Carolina – 68.44
- Irvine, California – 67.99
- Gilbert, Arizona – 67.96
- San Jose, California – 67.79
- Burlington, Vermont – 67.54
- Madison, Wisconsin – 66.35
- Columbia, Maryland – 66.28
- Chandler, Arizona – 65.69
- Seattle, Washington – 65.62
- Plano, Texas – 65.34
- San Francisco, California – 64.99
- Lincoln, Nebraska – 64.90
- Portland, Maine – 64.59
- Tempe, Arizona – 64.30
- San Diego, California – 64.30
- Raleigh, North Carolina – 63.47
- Peoria, Arizona – 63.38
- Durham, North Carolina – 62.84
- Huntington Beach, California – 62.80
Least happy cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 least happy cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Detroit, Michigan (#182 overall) – 29.55
- Memphis, Tennessee (#181 overall) – 34.39
- Shreveport, Louisiana (#180 overall) – 34.93
- Cleveland, Ohio (#179 overall) – 36.50
- Huntington, West Virginia (#178 overall) – 37.20
- Toledo, Ohio (#177 overall) – 37.21
- Augusta, Georgia (#176 overall) – 38.24
- Fort Smith, Arkansas (#175 overall) – 38.66
- Dover, Delaware (#174 overall) – 39.08
- Akron, Ohio (#173 overall) – 40.11
- Baltimore, Maryland (#172 overall) – 40.28
- Birmingham, Alabama (#171 overall) – 40.37
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (#170 overall) – 40.47
- Columbus, Georgia (#169 overall) – 40.61
- Montgomery, Alabama (#168 overall) – 41.35
- Gulfport, Mississippi (#167 overall) – 41.65
- Charleston, West Virginia (#166 overall) – 42.18
- Jackson, Mississippi (#165 overall) – 42.60
- St. Louis, Missouri (#164 overall) – 43.53
- Knoxville, Tennessee (#163 overall) – 44.04
- Wilmington, Delaware (#162 overall) – 44.34
- Little Rock, Arkansas (#161 overall) – 44.48
- Mobile, Alabama (#160 overall) – 44.85
- New Orleans, Louisiana (#159 overall) – 45.19
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (#158 overall) – 45.33
Where New England cities ranked
Here are the 12 happiest cities in New England, and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- South Burlington, Vermont (#6 overall) – 70.15
- Burlington, Vermont (#11 overall) – 67.54
- Portland, Maine (#19 overall) – 64.59
- Nashua, New Hampshire (#27 overall) – 62.49
- Manchester, New Hampshire (#51 overall) – 59.10
- Boston, Massachusetts (#63 overall) – 56.88
- Warwick, Rhode Island (#66 overall) – 56.59
- New Haven, Connecticut (#95 overall) – 54.14
- Bridgeport, Connecticut (#96 overall) – 54.01
- Providence, Rhode Island (#98 overall) – 53.52
- Worcester, Massachusetts (#116 overall) – 50.12
- Lewiston, Maine (#145 overall) – 47.28
A tornado touched down in Vermont Thursday, when a strong storm system moved through the area, the National Weather Service said.
Winds are believed to have hit 90 mph when the tornado churned through Williamstown at about 9:15 p.m., the agency said Friday. That makes it an EF1 tornado on the Fujita Scale, which goes from 0 at the weakest to 5 at the strongest.
Lasting three minutes, the twister traveled for more than four-tenths of a mile, with a maximum width of 100 yards, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary assessment. It damaged a pair of buildings and numerous trees, shearing tree tops. Golf ball-sized hail was also reported in the area.
Severe thunderstorms popped up across the North Country Thursday night, including in central Vermont — Williamstown is south of Montpelier.
The town thanked its road crew, firefighters and locals who spent hours in the wake of the storm cleaning up.
“We appreciate all that you do to keep the town functioning though an emergency situation,” the town said.
People in the area told NBC affiliate WPTZ that the storm was shockingly powerful, and National Weather Service staffer Marlon Verasamy said that while tornadoes in Vermont are rare, they’re even rarer in this part of the state.
“Generally, when we do see tornadoes around the area that they’ve been in Addison County and not here, so it make it really, really unique to get a tornado in this kind of terrain in this part of the state,” Verasamy said.
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