SPRINGFIELD - A public hearing Wednesday night seeking comment on starting a needle exchange program in the Springfield drew no opposition at all.
Now referred to as "syringe services programs," nearly a dozen people testified before the Public Health Council at the Central Library in favor of the exchange, including a wide cross-section of Springfield's population, from health professionals to former drug users.
The Commissioner of the city's Department of Health and Human Services, Helen Caulton-Harris, closed the hearing after the last speaker but left it open for written communications until February 12.
A formal vote by the council is scheduled for February 21.
Dr. Mark Keroack, President and CEO of Baystate Health, threw his support behind the proposal, saying while it is not a cure-all to the drug crisis, "SSPs are "a key component in a comprehensive approach to these problems, and they will save lives on day one."
Keroack was a long-time physician working with HIV position patients and those with full-blown AIDS. He said the companies he represented at the hearing see scores of drug users.
"As the largest provider of healthcare services to the underserved in the city, our providers see each day the impact of injection drug use in the health and well being of our citizens," he said. "This impact includes not only suffering and death from HIV and Hepatitis C infection but also the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths, all of which have afflicted the poor and people of color of our city in a disproportionate way."
Springfield has a maintained a dubious record throughout the years it did not have syringe services programs. It has the third highest HIV infection rate in the state, and at one time was the 11th highest per capita in the country.
The programs are now referred to as syringe services programs because they include much more than simple needle exchanges. Proponents say the programs offer opportunities to bring users into treatment programs, supply naloxone for overdose treatment, and are cost-effective. Syringes cost approximately 14-cents each, whereas treatment for AIDS can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The exchanges were first proposed in the 1990s as a way to cut the transmission of HIV and AIDS among injectable drug users. Drug users were able, in some areas, to turn in used syringes for fresh, clean syringes and hypodermic needles. Having a ready source of clean syringes and needles meant drug users were far less likely to share, reducing the transmission of blood-borne diseases.
Local hearings in 1998 and 2005 drew vicious opposition to the proposal splitting the city council. In 1998 the vote was 6 to 3 against and in 2005, 5 to 4.
Among those opposing the program was then City Councilor Dominic Sarno, who then said drug users would continue to share apparatus whether or not they had access to clean "works." He also objected to the state Senate proposal to establish needle exchanges without city approval.
Now, Sarno said he is keeping an "open mind" on the programs. But, either way he wants Governor Charlie Baker to put more money into treatment and related services.