Health Department proposes $18M prevention budget, seeks $5M for regional prevention leads

For the record, Rick Hildbrand, commissioner of the Department of Health, told the committee that preventing substance misuse is a cost-effective strategy and a priority for the department.

Emily Trud, division director for the department's Division of Substance Use Programs, laid out the administration's FY27 prevention budget proposal and the evidence supporting it. The department proposes a prevention budget a little over $18 million for FY27, with allocations the administration described as follows: $5 million for Vermont Prevention Lead Organizations (VPLOs), $3 million for school-based prevention services and roughly $1.5 million for field-based prevention staff.

Trud cited national research summarized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), saying prevention produces long-term benefits and saves downstream costs; she summarized an often-cited ratio from federal reports: each $1 invested in prevention can save about $18 in other public costs. She also highlighted state-specific program metrics: the department reported collecting 18,000 pounds of medication through a drug disposal program in 2024, 51.3 million impressions across three paid media campaigns, and a 2.7 percentage-point decrease in binge drinking for Vermonters age 12 and older.

On school services, Trud said the department's funding currently reaches about 64% of middle-school and high-school students statewide. She described how school screening is intended to connect students to treatment, the state's preferred provider network or designated agencies, depending on local resources.

Committee members asked how prevention funding and programs align with the Agency of Education. Trud said the department maintains regular communication with education officials but that formal budget alignment and detailed local funding breakdowns would be provided in writing after the hearing.

Several legislators raised a related fiscal issue: whether community prevention programs should seek support from the opioid abatement settlement fund or from VPLO allocations. Trud acknowledged that some organizations apply to multiple sources; she said VPLOs use a competitive process that allows local groups to propose projects and that the VPLO structure is intended to prioritize community-driven needs. A committee member said the opioid abatement advisory process has discussed prevention, but Trud said the department has, in practice, been cautious about directing abatement dollars to prevention-only activities and would follow formal application guidance.

What happens next: presenters offered to provide additional written details on agency collaboration, school funding reach and the application processes for VPLO and other grants. The committee did not take a formal vote during the session.