Needle exchange program opens in Holyoke
Date: 7/18/2012
By G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.comHOLYOKE — The area's second needle exchange was approved last week — an effort that began in 1996.
Tapestry Health will operate the exchange at 15A Main St. and Director of Prevention Services Timothy Purington explained to
Reminder Publications that anyone bringing a dirty needle to be exchanged for a clean one will receive counseling and referrals to receive treatment for drug addiction.
The city's Board and Health and Mayor Alex Morse unanimously approved the needle exchange. The only other program of its kind is in Northampton.
Purington said that research has shown that a needle exchange attracts people from just that community and that he didn't expect people from Chicopee or Springfield to be traveling to Holyoke for the service.
According to information supplied by Tapestry Health, Holyoke has the third-highest rate of people living with HIV/AIDS in the state and that injection drug use is responsible for 32 percent of the new HIV cases in the city. Statewide the rate is 12 percent.
Shared needles also contribute to the spread of hepatitis C. At the needle exchange, clients will also be screened for hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, other than HIV/AIDS.
The center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Purington said there has been "a fair amount of misunderstanding" about needle exchanges. Research has shown they decrease the use of illegal drugs, he added.
He added, "It's a complicated public health issue and not a good issue for a referendum. It's one best left to public health experts."
Posting to his Facebook page, Morse wrote, "[I] was proud to help make this happen in Holyoke after many years of waiting. This will help save lives, reduce transmission of HIV and hepatitis C, get needles off our streets and out of our parks, and protect city employees, first responders, and city residents. A big thank-you to the Board of Health Commission, Police Chief [James] Neiswanger, DPW [Department of Public Works] Superintendent [William] Fuqua, Solicitor [Elizabeth] Rodriguez-Ross, and Tim Purington and Tapestry Health for supporting this program. This is at no cost to Holyoke and will be managed privately by Tapestry Health."
