This story is part of CT Mirror Explains, an ongoing effort to distill our wide-ranging reporting into a "what you need to know" format and provide practical information to our readers.
In an understated brick building in the heart of Providence’s medical district sits Project Weber/RENEW, one of three overdose prevention centers — sometimes called safe injection sites — in the entire country.
The center opened in Providence in January and has received high marks from advocates, elected officials and community members.
The Connecticut Mirror toured the facility to understand what it offers and how it works, as efforts to open similar sites in Connecticut have slowed.
A common space on the first floor of Project Weber/RENEW in Providence feels like a cross between a church basement and a community center. This area includes access to showers and laundry.
The OPC is located on the second floor. There is a medical suite, staffed with a full-time nurse, behavioral health physician and part-time doctor.
“When we talk about what an overdose is, it’s your respiratory system is shutting down,” said Deputy Director Ashley Perry. “So we want to prevent that from happening.”
The atmosphere is calm at the overdose prevention center. A mellow Macy Gray song played from a speaker on this day.
Staff members discreetly check in on clients every 10 to 15 minutes while they’re in the center.
Bathroom sensors alert staff if an occupant stops moving for extended periods of time.
People who need to come down from the effects of drugs that may agitate them can use this space called the overamp room.
“Everything in here is kind of like a sensory thing for folks to try to help ground them in that reality of what is going on right now,” Perry said.
Project Weber/RENEW is housed in a former medical building. While the staff take pride their lifesaving work, the process to become operational was far from simple.
For more, read our story about Connecticut’s failed proposal to establish four overdose prevention sites.
