RANDOLPH — Patients struggling with opioid use disorder will now be able to access extended-release medication through the emergency room and inpatient unit at Gifford Medical Center.
Gifford in Randolph is the only Vermont hospital to give patients the option to start Sublocade, an injectable form of Buprenorphine that curbs opioid cravings for four weeks per dose, in the emergency department, according to a news release from the healthcare provider.
Gifford officials hope that offering Sublocade will make treatment more accessible for patients than other medications that have to be taken daily, because it is an extended release and the emergency department is open 24/7. The hospital also will stock the medication instead of ordering it individually for patients so that they can start treatment more quickly.
“Addiction, like other chronic illnesses, is a treatable disease and we have extremely effective, evidence-based treatments available,” Roz Vara-Good, a nurse practitioner in addiction medicine at Gifford, said in a news release. “We just need to make those treatments easier to access than drugs.”
Gifford operates an outpatient addiction medicine program for patients dealing with substance use disorder where they can access services such as treatment medication, counseling and referrals for other types of care at Kingwood Health Center in Randolph and Gifford’s primary care office in Berlin, Vt.
Gifford currently serves about 40 patients on Sublocade through its outpatient treatment clinics.
“I haven’t had a single patient switch to Sublocade and want to go back to daily dosing,” Vara-Good said. “Patients tell me they wake up and simply feel normal. They describe having more mental space to focus on work, family, and recovery instead of constantly thinking about medication schedules or withdrawal symptoms.”
The wholesale cost of Sublocade is about $2,200 per dose, according to a website for the drug, but the medication is completely covered for most patients with Medicaid or private insurance. For patients with Medicare, the average monthly cost is $97, but can range from 2 cents to $1,607 per dose.
Dartmouth Health administers extended-release opioid drugs, including Sublocade and another extended-release buprenorphine, Brixadi, according to the DH Addiction Treatment Program website. Patients can access the medication through Dartmouth’s addiction treatment program and the Doorway, a state-run and federally funded program administered at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Valley Regional Hospital.
Through the Doorway, patients in New Hampshire can access walk-in and crisis services during the week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or contact 211 any time for immediate support.
Gifford’s initiative comes as providers around the Upper Valley are expanding treatment options for substance use disorder. Increased programming and investment has started to make a difference in the region’s opioid crisis.
From 2014 to 2022, Vermont saw a steady increase in annual deaths due to opioid overdose. In 2023 and 2024 the number decreased, according to the Vermont Department of Health. Since the start of 2026, accidental and undetermined opioid deaths and emergency department visits for overdoses have stayed below the three-year average.
In New Hampshire, drug-related deaths are also on the decline, according to a 2025 study from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. From 2023 to 2024, drug-related deaths dropped by a third and the state increased annual spending by 450% from 2014 to 2024.
Dartmouth Health opened an addiction treatment center near Valley Regional in Claremont in March, expanding its services to the southern part of the Upper Valley. The health network also recently announced plans to expand treatment for pregnant patients at DHMC struggling with substance use disorder. Construction is also imminent on a standalone residential treatment facility for women and their children in Lebanon.
