Charleston City Council to vote on proposal to eliminate needle exchange program

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston City Council will determine the fate of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department’s needle exchange program Monday.

Council will take a vote on Mayor Danny Jones’ proposal to end the program.

The mayor and city police have expressed concern over the growing amount of needles that have been found all over town. Jones said it’s putting the lives of the public and city employees at risk.

City Public Works Director Brent Webster said his garbage collectors see used needles on the streets every day.

“They try to be more cognizant of that they’re around now, so they try to be very careful and work around them, but yes. It’s a daily thing with those groups to see them laying on the streets in drains and in the trash,” he said.

In some cases, it’s become a hidden safety hazard, Webster said.

“If you’re doing leaf collection, or these pumper truck guys are working down into the sewers, a lot of times it’s a hidden threat. Everybody has an idea of what the syringes looks like, but it’s not always evident,” he said.

Webster said if the problem continues, he would consider providing his employees with additional training on what to look for.

“It’s a hard job. We don’t want to make it harder by exposing them to additional hazards,” he said.

Advocates of the syringe exchange say it helps stop the spread of infectious diseases and gives drug addicts a point of contact for recovery.

“We talk a lot about the risk of hepatitis C, HIV — those are really important functions of it, but it also brings a pathway to hope and connection for people who are struggling in their darkest hours,” said Daniel Raymond, policy director at the National Advocacy Harm Reduction Coalition, on Friday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”

Lois Vance, of Cabin Creek Health Systems, told MetroNews the rate of hepatitis C and HIV has already started to decline.

“By taking that program away, the HIV and the hepatitis C, I’m afraid we’ll reach epidemic proportions,” she said.

Vance said the needle exchange is not adding to the drug problem. She said people are coming to the department to exchange syringes for different reasons.

“What people don’t understand about the needle exchange is that is not a program just for addicts. Anybody that has a need for a needle — B12 shots or insulin — can go in there and get needles,” she said.

People used to be able to pick up clean needles for others. The health department announced this month is would be implementing new guidelines that require clients to show up in person and show identification to receive syringes.

Since the program started in 2015, more than 600,000 needles have been handed out. The health department said nearly 200,000 of the 600,000 needles have not been returned to the facility.

Raymond said needles have been found around the city even before the program started and that this is a good way to discard them.

“If we lose that program, we lose a central site that can be a hub for better disposal strategies. That’s the thing that’s really at stake here,” he said.

West Virginia needs more treatment beds in order for the needle exchange program to succeed, Raymond said.

“Charleston’s program is prime for success as long as the treatment capacity in West Virginia starts to build out and keep up pace,” he said.

Vance said this is one of the first steps to get people into recovery. She said people need to look at this from an addict’s perspective.

“They’re going into public places and using their drugs because should they overdose, they want to be found. They want to have a chance for their life to be saved. Should they die, they don’t want to die by themselves.”

“It’s a call for help,” she said.





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