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Heroin addicts in St. Lawrence County now have access to needle exchange

Posted 5/1/16

By ANDY GARDNER St. Lawrence County heroin addicts now have access to a needle exchange program and protection from arrest while carrying syringes, even if they contain opiate or opioid residue. ACR …

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Heroin addicts in St. Lawrence County now have access to needle exchange

Posted

By ANDY GARDNER

St. Lawrence County heroin addicts now have access to a needle exchange program and protection from arrest while carrying syringes, even if they contain opiate or opioid residue.

ACR Health, which is based out of Syracuse and has an office in Canton, runs a peer-delivered syringe exchange in the North Country because they do not have state Department of Health approval to run an actual exchange site. They are licensed to dispense clean syringes and collect used needles for disposal.

“If somebody’s a participant in our syringe exchange program, when they enroll we give them a card that basically protects them under public health law and they’re allowed as a participant to carry syringes, protects against arrest for syringe possession or if the syringe contains residue,” said Dan Roach, ACR Health’s assistant director for prevention services in charge of harm reduction.

“It does not protect against other charges, warrants, etc.”

At an April 24 naloxone training session in Massena, the person who facilitates the organization’s peer-delivered exchange group talked about the legal protections the program affords. Narcan is an opiate/opioid overdose antidote.

The man who delivers the needles, who only identified himself as Derrick, says it’s aimed at protecting police and reducing harm to people who use intravenous drugs. The program can also prevent the public from coming into contact with dirty needles. Hypodermic syringes can transmit things like hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

There have been more than 80 instances of used needles found in Massena and Ogdensburg since Jan. 1.

Ogdensburg City Police officials say they have responded to at least 51 reports since the new year.

Massena Police Acting Chief Adam Love said his officers have fielded 35 calls over that time period.

“Several of our needles were located in the roadway,” Love said.

Derrick says when police search a person, they will ask “do you have anything that can stick me?” If the IV drug user knows they won’t be charged with needle possession, they will be more likely to admit they are carrying one, which could spare an officer from being pricked, potentially exposing them to deadly needle-borne diseases, he said.

State Police Sgt. Chad Niles, who spoke at the Narcan event, said he believes the syringe exchange is a good thing for the area, which is facing what law enforcement officials have described as a heroin “epidemic.”

“Some people think the syringe exchange is empowering. It’s not,” Niles told the room of about 75.

Derrick, a recovering addict himself, told the audience that the needle program does not encourage more people to use IV drugs, but reduces harm to those that do.

“It’s about getting HIV and hepatitis C down … that’s a big problem in Massena is people sharing stuff,” he said. “It’s like a condom. People are going to do it, so they might as well do it safely.”

He said in addition to taking people’s dirty needles and giving them clean instruments, he also provides all the other accessories needed to inject drugs, such as mixing cups and cotton balls. They can transmit pathogens just as easily as a dirty syringe.

“I show how to safely inject, where not to, what not to,” he said.

Roach said Derrick’s tasks extend beyond getting people things they need to use drugs. He can also help people get into treatment or find social services.

“DSS, rehab, whatever you need, I help,” Derrick said.

“We can get them HIV, hep C, STI (sexually transmitted infection) tests, we can get them treatment services,” Roach said.

Anyone who wants to enroll in the peer-delivered needle program can contact ACR Health at (315) 475-2430 and be put in touch with Derrick.

“They can call him on a cell phone he has provided,” Roach said.

Derrick is paid a stipend from ACR for his services, according to Roach.

ACR Health receives a large portion of its funding from New York state and Medicaid. They also receive donations and draw money from fundraisers, according to financial records posted on their website.