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Host Ed Baker and his guest Stephen Leffler, M.D., discuss opioid prescribing trends within the UVM Health Network and life-saving innovations now in place at the UVM Emergency Department. Dr. Leffler is the Chief Population Health and Quality Officer for the UVM Health Network, and he describes the successful efforts within the UVM system to reduce the amounts of opioids being prescribed for patients being treated for pain, thus reducing patient risk.

Dr. Leffler also discusses the recent life-saving innovations made available to patients admitted to the UVM Emergency Department for opioid overdose: Recovery Coaching and Buprenorphine, a successful and widely-used medication assisting in the treatment of opioid use disorder.

In this episode, Ed speaks with guests Mariah Sanderson, Coalition Director of Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community, and Dean Whitlock, an author and a member of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM-VT). As both medical and non-medical uses of this drug become more common in Vermont, public opinion is being influenced in ways that tend to under-focus on potential dangers. Join Ed Baker and his noted guests to discuss marijuana, its “normalization” in Vermont, and talking to children and adolescents in ways which will appropriately educate them regarding the real dangers of this drug.

Ed Baker is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Alcohol/Drug Counselor with over 30 years’ experience in the Substance Use field. Join Ed in learning from individuals with extensive professional and personal experience related to all aspects of addiction, recovery, prevention, and policy.

Artful Word Producer James Gero records the bagpipes at sunset in front of the waterfront's lone sailor statue.

Artful Word Producer James Gero shares sights and sounds from the Myra Flynn performance at Burlington's Discover Jazz Festival.