Researchers from the University of Vermont and several other institutions this spring will launch a multi-year study focused on drug use and barriers to health services in New England.

The study will follow 1,200 people with substance use disorder across the three states — Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island — for up to five years.

Researchers hope to track how people use state programs around HIV and hepatitis C prevention, needle exchanges, and the impacts of newer initiatives like overdose prevention centers, where people can use drugs under medical supervision. (Rhode Island is currently the only New England state with such a facility, though Burlington is working to open one .)

The study will also look at how rural settings affect drug use, said Dr. Devika Singh, associate pr

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