The meeting, held at a local public library, was organized by Michael Smith, secretary for Vermont's Agency of Human Services, and Barbara Cimaglio, commissioner of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs for Vermont's Department of Health, as part of a statewide series intended to set priorities and make recommendations to Governor James Douglas.

Douglas is preparing for the next phase of the Drug Education, Treatment, Enforcement and Rehabilitation (DETER) initiative, a $3 million project which currently emphasizes youth prevention.

"Frequently, there's a gap between rehabilitation and outpatient services and many people fail," said David O'Brien, director of mental health and substance abuse services for nonprofit organization United Counseling Service (UCS), which treats about 500 patients each year.

"An intensive outpatient program is a plan for [patients] to come several times a week, a few hours a day. That's the need here," O'Brien said. Last year, the state denied UCS $100,000 in funding to establish such a program.

Southwestern Vermont also needs a methadone and buprenorphine clinic, O'Brien said, a concern which was also voiced on September 14 by the commissioner of Vermont's Department of Health, Dr. Paul Jarris.