Tag: Charleston City Council

Charleston’s city council revamped a local code Tuesday night regarding syringe service programs.

Programs that give clean needles to IV drug users will have to obtain a state license, get approval from the city council, and limit the number of needles given to participants.

Those requirements are already outlined in a recent state law, Senate Bill 334. But the new city code goes a few steps further.

The city would also require a public meeting be held in any neighborhood where a syringe program hopes to set up shop.

Some council members said Charleston’s West Side community wasn’t consulted when a local needle exchange program came to their neighborhood.

Solutions Oriented Addiction Response, or SOAR, set up health fairs in a church parking lot on the West Side.

Council member Jennifer Pharr said she’s spoken with SOAR. While the grassroots organization was welcomed by a church in the neighborhood, Pharr says that wasn’t enough.

“I said, ‘You’re not being a good neighbor. You didn’t speak to the community and ask if it was okay to set up in their backyard,” Pharr said.

The ordinance also slaps misdemeanor criminal charges on anyone giving out needles illegally. State law would only apply civil charges. Anyone in violation of the city’s syringe law would be fined $500 to $1,000.

A sticking point of both city and state law is an adherence to a one-to-one distribution model. That means participants must bring back their used syringes to receive clean ones.

State law only stipulates that programs have a one-to-one “goal.” The city council wanted something more specific. Members debated the reasons why someone with substance use disorder might not be able to bring back every single needle, every single time.

“To say that if you get 10 you have to bring all 10 back or you get nothing, that’s pretty cold,” said Council Member Deanna McKinney. “This is an illness that people do have, let’s not forget that.”

McKinney supports a one-to-one approach, mostly. She thinks it will hold participants accountable, but she wants some leniency, too.

“You don’t want to be too restricted to where you can’t get the help that you need. And you don’t want to be too loose to where you don’t get help at all,” McKinney said.

The final ordinance requires programs to collect 90 percent of the needles it distributes.

When it comes to the mission of syringe service programs — which is to curb the spread of HIV and other blood-borne illnesses — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says restrictive, one-to-one models are not as effective.

The final version of the ordinance passed almost unanimously. Council Member Robert Sheets was the lone member to vote against it.

SOAR’s program recently shut down its health fairs due to the impending city decision and concerns from West Side residents.

“A lot of people are wondering what groups like SOAR will do next. We’re still figuring that out,” Joe Solomon of SOAR wrote to West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “For now, we’re shocked the council voted to arrest nurses and pastors for doing what the CDC says we need to do.”

Health Right operates the only active needle exchange program in the city. Health Right’s Executive Director Dr. Angie Settle said these new requirements will not shut her program down.

“We’ll follow the letter of the law. Whatever the ordinance says, we will do it,” Settle said.

The clinic already operates with a one-to-one distribution model.

The city code goes into effect this weekend, preempting state law that begins mid-July.

Syringe service programs in Charleston have been controversial for years. And this wouldn’t be the first time that the city passed an ordinance on the issue.

But Monday night could be another turning point for the matter, as council members decide what specific guidelines harm reduction programs must follow. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Charleston’s convention center. Current city code requires approval from the police chief. It doesn’t say much about how a program should actually operate.

New language would require programs to track needles more closely, and limit the number of needles a participant can take.

That’s been a dividing point for council members. Some want less needles, under the assumption that it would reduce unsightly trash. But council member Keeley Steele has a different concern.

“There is a certain contingency of the council that wants us to take a hard line on the one-to-one model. And I am not one of those,” she said.

Steele sides with CDC guidelines that say restricting needles hinders the mission of syringe programs, which is to curb the spread of infectious disease.

“I want harm reduction organizations to fit into a model that clearly works through science,” she said.

Steele represents the East End. Her ward isn’t far from Health Right, Charleston’s only active needle exchange program.

Another program, ran by grassroots volunteers, had been operating in the city. Solutions Oriented Addiction Response or SOAR held large-scale health fairs in a church parking lot on the West Side.

Council member Deanna McKinney represents a ward in that area. She has seen these events, where organizers set up shop and people flock to receive life saving supplies.

“When I went there, I didn’t see any accountability,” she said.

Organizers say they offer compassion and second chances at these events. Volunteers handed out needles as well as overdose reversal treatments like naloxone. But McKinney saw an influx of people she didn’t know.

“They were just people coming from different angles… how do you keep up with the people that’s coming to you?” she said.

She wants to support those with substance use disorder. In her mind, this ordinance will give her community a say in what happens in their neighborhood and still provide essential services to those in need.

“I pray to God that we make the right decisions, and actually help the people and not just give them tools to keep damaging their bodies and keeping them in the trauma that they’re in,” McKinney said.

McKinney doesn’t want Charleston to go without a harm reduction program. But SOAR has recently called off its health fairs, due to concerns from West Side residents. With no visible presence, the program can’t offer much help.

That’s what worries Steele. Not the number of needles that will or won’t be in the streets, but that if programs shut down, plenty of folks will lose a trusted resource.

“Everyone wants to make sure that folks that need help feel safe. And if you make them feel safe they’ll come for help, but if you don’t make them feel safe, they will not,” Steele said.

Monday night will bring debate to the council’s floor. But most of the provisions in this ordinance are already covered in new state law, signed by Gov. Jim Justice signed on Thursday that would require syringe programs to get a state license and approval from local elected officials.

The city ordinance would add more restrictive language on needle distribution. The city ordinance mandates a one for one exchange. State law mandates a “goal” of one to one exchanges.

The city ordinance would also fine anyone distributing needles unlawfully with a misdemeanor and $500 to $1000 fine.

A grassroots harm reduction program in Charleston connects those with substance use disorder to a host of services: food, menstrual products, HIV testing and medical referrals. It also hands out sterile syringes, with the goal of curbing blood-borne illnesses. But that particular service has come under fire from the City of Charleston. Elected officials cite concerns over needle litter and potential pricks. A proposed ordinance that will be taken up Monday could limit syringe programs in the city.

Charleston’s public safety committee advanced the ordinance to the full city council with a 5-2 vote. The council will take up the ordinance Monday at 7PM. In a statement to WVPB, Mayor Amy Goodwin did not indicate how she would vote.

Health reporter June Leffler spoke with Joe Solomon of Solutions Oriented Addition Response ahead of a health fair this Saturday.

Leffler: SOAR is having an event this Saturday, can you tell me what services are provided and what is the general vibe of your event?

Solomon: SOAR’s next big event is this coming Saturday and it will mark a year of SOAR either going out in the community or setting up relatively large health fairs. I mean, that’s what it has evolved from, from driving around meeting people where they are to connecting with so many people that we had to ask people to meet all together in a social distance kind of way when the pandemic struck. And so now we’re meeting in the sanctuary of a church, well a church parking lot. And it’s kind of like a bazaar of mercy and compassion. And everyone is given a smile, and asked how they are, and a genuine kind of love and warmth. As you come and enter. You can of course, get a mask if you don’t have one, or if you need more hand sanitizers, period products, and so on. And as you go down the line, there’s a lot of snacks, lots of water bottles that we give out too. And then as you go, you have options to get HIV testing and referral to care. And as you keep going, there’s someone that says, “Hey, if you’ve got syringe returns, we’re here to take them.” And we just collected over 100 pounds of syringe returns over the last, I don’t know how long actually it’s been since we did our last drop, but a truck just picked up over 100 pounds yesterday. We also give out really sturdy containers at that same table. And then you keep going and there’s a table with recovery coaches, and they can help you with all kinds of things. Whether you’re ready for abstinence based treatment, or like a 12 step program, or a medication assisted treatment program. Or where you need help troubleshooting things like getting ID or Medicaid or SNAP, they’re there to help. And then down the line you go and you can get as much Naloxone as you need. This is the largest Naloxone hub in the state. So we give out about 1000 doses every other Saturday. And we hear about 30 to 40 overdose reversals every two weeks. So 30 to 40 people that are still with us, thanks to this program and the people that are saving those lives with this Naloxone. And the last stop on the way here is our syringe service table and our other sterile equipment that we have available. And this is our station where we can help prevent the spread of HIV and Hep C, which have run rampant through our community these past couple years.

Leffler: Joe, you said there are a ton of services that are at your events. But the one that is being called into question by the city is your syringe services. The City of Charleston is working towards an ordinance that would regulate operations like yours that hand out syringes. The public safety committee passed language that would require organizations like yours to have a license and abide by a one to one exchange. If this becomes city ordinance, what would happen to SOAR?

Solomon: Well, we should really be asking what would happen to our people. Kanawha County now leads the state in overdoses. We’ve lost someone every three days for the past five years, just in this county. Our valley is also home to the nation’s most concerning HIV outbreak. According to the CDC, both of these things should be reckoning moments to race forward as a city. And what we see in City Hall is a chance for us to race backwards. So the risk of these stigma driven worst practices is that we have to turn people away.

Leffler: So on Monday night, the city council will take up this proposed ordinance. Will you be reaching out to council members? Just what will you be doing before Monday?

Solomon: Well, we’ll be busy. I think the city council has unfortunately a few members that give the impression that harm reduction is “us versus them.” And harm reduction is about everybody. It’s about protecting everybody. The concerns of council largely have to do with syringe litter. If you’re a parent and you find a syringe in a sandbox, that’s scary stuff. And we care about that stuff too. It’s why we’re the largest distributor of disposable containers and why we collect so many syringes. This bill that the city council has proposed does nothing for litter and does nothing for the HIV crisis or the overdose crisis of our city. SOAR over the next few days is going to be working with city council members to float an alternative ordinance that will actually help everybody, that will help syringe litter and help us get a handle on the HIV crisis. We’ve taken a draft written by the American Medical Association and we’ve added sections that address needle litter. For example, it invites the city to set up 10 to 15 syringe disposal boxes across the city over the next year.