100 people battling opioid addiction visited Providence safe stations since inception

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The City of Providence turned their firehouses into “safe stations” in January 2018 to help combat the opioid crisis.

Since then, 100 people have visited in search of help.

Adrienne Wood is one of those people.

She became addicted to pain killers after she got in a car crash in Florida and walked in to a Providence fire station on February 19, 2018, looking for guidance.

"It's been a journey and it's been every key component of this program that has saved my life,” Wood told NBC 10 News on Monday.

The fire department is welcoming people who are struggling to seek help, so the safe stations are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no exceptions.

They were the idea of Capt. Zack Kenyon, who is the acting EMS chief for the city, after he saw them in action in Nashua and Manchester, New Hampshire.

"Hopefully, we can move this into a Southern New England project where people know that any time, day or night, they can go in to any fire station and get into recovery,” Kenyon said of the future of the program.

For some perspective, there have been 24 homicides in the state in 2018, along with 300 overdoses.

Mayor Jorge Elorza referenced the statistic to highlight the importance of safe stations in the community.

"That's what we're committed to here in the city, that there's a space for you regardless of where you are in your life cycle and where you are in your life,” Elorza said.

People who visit safe stations are put in touch with recovery coaches that will help them through the process from start to finish -- and beyond.

It’s something that Wood said was a life-changer for her.

"It's an honor to have this program here,” she said. “I just hope the word can get out faster so that more lives can get saved."

Authorities from Newport will begin a safe stations initiative in their city later this month, while other communities, like Fall River and Woonsocket, are also interested.