MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The Berkeley County Health Department wants to implement a harm reduction program.
Nurse Director Angela Gray and epidemiologist Timi Adediran went before the Berkeley County Council last week to promote the idea.
They discussed the benefits that come with a harm reduction program, especially a needle exchange initiative.
Adediran said the harm reduction program would provide “wrap-around services” including STD testing, Hepatitis testing and immunization, family planning services, and access to on site recovery coaches.
“It’s very encompassing. We want to target every area that we can in order to get them the right services that they need,” Adediran said. “We’re the last major populous county to not have one yet so we need to get on the bandwagon.”
The threat of a hepatitis outbreak in Berkeley County is very real according to Adediron.
“There’s been increasing rates of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in the county. We do think it’s linked to IV drug use. By providing people with clean needles they’re less likely to share the needles, which is how the transmission occurs.”
She said there’s still a lot of educating about needle exchange programs that needs to happen in order to change the public’s perception.
“There’s obviously people in the community that may think we’re enabling IV drug users but research has shown that it doesn’t make anybody go into IV drug use, and it doesn’t make any IV drug users want to use the drug more than they were using before. It’s just a way for them to have access to clean needles and our other services.”
Gray said their nurses are already working to eliminate those misconceptions in the community, and says most are very open to the idea of helping the addicts in any way they can.
“We’re dealing with disease every day – we’re already seeing these patients basically. They’re wanting help, we just have a lack of avenues to give them. There’s waiting lists to get into Behavior Health, and in our state there’s a great lack of Behavioral Health providers. We’ve even had people call and ask us if we give out needles, so I think we’re ready – as far as our nursing staff goes – to help stop the spread of disease.”
Both ladies agreed their staff is ready, the need is there, and at this point the only hurdle is funding.
Adediran explained that was the purpose for their meeting with the Berkeley County Council, who share strong sentiments in their pursuit of combating the opioid epidemic in the County.
“Our health department just had a 25 percent budget cut, so right now we just cannot do it on our own. Right now any kind of funding would be appreciated. Even if you can donate a dollar amount, you could ‘donate’ certain services like hazardous waste pickup, and volunteering for clinical work or as a recovery coach,” she said.
Gray said on Tuesday they’ll be presenting a proposal to the Board of Health.
If approved, she plans on getting in touch with their partners – Berkeley Medical Center and Shenandoah Community Center – to see if there’s any way they can help as well.
“I look at it as prevention,” Gray said. “We’re preventing the spread of disease with a comprehensive harm reduction program, and needle exchange is just one aspect of it.”
To learn more about how you can help Berkeley Medical Center, call 304-263-5131, or e-mail Gray at angie.k.gray@wv.gov.