Harm reduction van service approved by Board of Health

April 28, 2021 | Peter Currier
peter@thewestfieldnews group.com

WESTFIELD – The Board of Health voted April 15 to explore a program from Tapestry Health that would allow a harm reduction van to come to Westfield for syringe exchange and addiction services.

The harm reduction van would come to Westfield at least once a month and allow those suffering from drug addictions to exchange their used syringes for clean ones. Tapestry Health’s Director of Harm Reduction Programs Liz Whynott said to the Board of Health the needle exchange would eliminate health risks that may arise when one uses a needle that was previously used by someone else.

She said the program would also reduce the number of improperly discarded needles throughout the city.

Whynott and Westfield’s Coalition for Outreach, Recovery, and Education (CORE) Coordinator Kathi Cotugno had proposed the harm reduction van to Police Lt. Kevin Bard, who leads the Community Service Unit (CSU). Bard was completely supportive of the program.  “I think this opioid epidemic is not going away anytime soon, so why not provide a safe environment for the users?” he said.

In addition to being a needle exchange, the van would also provide birth control and STD testing services for HIV, HPV, hepatitis and other diseases that may be spread through the use of shared needles. Those working on the van would also be able to help people get into rehabilitation programs, if desired. 

“With that outreach a few things will happen between the people on the van and the people taking the services which causes relationship building,” said Cotugno, “That is how we can help direct them and provide services. That program as a public health impact will decrease the prevalence of HIV and HPV.”

Cotugno said that she composed a letter to the Department of Public Health (DPH) after the Board of Health vote. The DPH will create the harm reduction program for Westfield themselves.

Whynott said people who use the harm reduction van in other municipalities have been five times more likely to enter treatment for their addiction. She said there has also been no increase in crime as a result of the van being used in other communities. Montague, Belchertown, and Amherst are among communities who have recently adopted the harm reduction van program.

Bard and the CSU have already been undertaking their own strategy for handling addictions and overdoses among Westfield residents, which he believes will work well in conjunction with the harm reduction van.

Each day Bard looks over the police logs to find any incidents of drug overdoses in Westfield. When he finds one, he gets a small team together to go meet with the overdose victim and try to provide them with addiction services. He said they help the overdose victim receive methadone, vivitrol, and suboxone to help treat their substance use disorders.

The Drug Addiction Recovery Team (DART) typically tries to visit an overdose victim within 72 hours of their overdose. They also provide the overdose victim and their family with Narcan and teach them how to use it in the event of another overdose. Narcan effectively ends an overdose long enough for the victim to get to a hospital, drastically increasing the chances of survival.

DART also gives the overdose victim the resources to get into a rehabilitation program. For the person’s family, Bard and his team will give them the resources to learn to better cope with having a loved one with a substance abuse disorder.

“For those who have passed away, we also provide the family with bereavement services, so they may talk with groups of people who are in the same boat as they are,” said Bard.

DART has also developed a program that provides mentors and life coaches to people who struggle with substance abuse. Bard compared it to a big brother or sister who may have already gone through substance abuse themselves and have made it through rehabilitation.

Bard made a point to say that he wants for there to be no stigma against substance addiction, especially as it affects so many families in communities across the country.

“Opioid addiction affects every single family in some way, shape, or form,” said Bard, “It’s like cancer in that everybody can say they know somebody who has had cancer. Same goes for substance abuse disorders.”

Though the opioid epidemic does continue, Bard said as far as the statistics show, Westfield has had far fewer opioid overdoses and deaths than a lot of other cities and towns. He is unsure why that may be, but he theorized that some people may have been afraid to report an overdose or health issue related to their substance abuse disorder because they did not want to go to a hospital in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that this is just a theory and is not based on any hard data.

Some city councilors applauded the harm reduction van program. At-Large Councilor Kristen Mello said she thinks the Board of Health made the right decision to vote to explore the program, even if it may seem controversial on its surface. 

“Many people worry that providing harm reduction measures like Narcan or needle services condones drug use or increases dangers in the community, but the actual statistics show another story,” said Mello, “Studies show that drug addiction declines with increased social engagement and deepening community connection. If Westfield is to overcome our opiate problems, we will need to treat substance use disorder and our residents’ mental and emotional health as priorities for kind and healing attention, removing the shame and ridicule, and giving people hope for the future. CORE of Greater Westfield and Tapestry Health are leading the way.”

Ward 2 City Councilor Ralph J. Figy said he also approves of the harm reduction programs.

“Syringe Exchange programs have been shown to reduce transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C as well as reduce overall risk to people with substance use disorders. Additionally, there has been no indication that needle/syringe exchange programs encourage continued drug use or encourage first time drug use,” said Figy.

No timeline has been given yet for when the harm reduction van will be able to begin providing services in Westfield.

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