Seattle Public Health will give needles to minors, community pushes back

Public health needle exchange programs in Seattle and King Counties are handing out needles to any drug addict who asks. This also applies to minors, regardless of their age. You will even give it to them at their home or in a public parking lot.

The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH learned that county needle exchange programs don’t even have written rules when employees interact with minors.

A Federal Way woman says she saw a teenager aged 16 receive needles from the South County Outreach Referral and Exchange (SCORE). Then he shot up. Thanks to a group of community activists, the focus is now on how SCORE and public health work.

Public health is handing out needles to anyone who asks

SCORE is a taxpayer funded needle exchange program. However, no replacement is required at all.

Employees take a van to private homes, park and ride areas, and other public places in King County. There, addicts pick up clean needles to encourage their drug addiction. SCORE gives anyone who asks for the supplies they need to quench their addiction for nearly a month.

“In the past, the program has been a one-on-one exchange, but has always made sure that the people who come into the exchange without supplies have what they need to be safe,” says a spokesman of Seattle & King County Public Health across from the Jason Rantz Show KTTH. “When COVID-19 hit our community, we moved to a model that minimizes the time it takes someone to be in public. This will reduce the risk as well as the risk for employees of being exposed to COVID-19. We work with people to understand what they need to be safe for two to three weeks. “

When the SCORE van stopped frequently on the Federal Way – without the consent or knowledge of the city – a group of activists became aware of it. Ken, who recently attended the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH, was one of them.

According to Public Health, SCORE visits Federal Way roughly twice a week, although some activists say they have seen visits more frequently. Ken and other community activists with a local Facebook group investigated what was going on. Ken says he even followed one of the vans to understand how the program worked.

“I sat and took a few photos of people walking up to them [SCORE’s van]. It’s like they all appeared, ”Ken told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “I think a bus came and dropped you off. One came with a bicycle. I couldn’t see what they were actually doing. They got things and went away with these bags full of things and [SCORE] went to three different places. “

The teenager shoots needles and shoots up in parking lots

During the first quarter of this year, public health programs were distributing an average of 137,910 syringes per month. Many of the recipients are homeless. Because SCORE does not require addicts to return dirty needles, many are garbage parks and other areas where the homeless live.

On his drive to SCORE, Ken said he saw addicts “skyrocketing” in various locations about 200 meters away.

Grace, another local activist, told the Dori Monson show on KIRO radio that she had connected with SCORE, could pick up 100 boxes of needles, but had not received any treatment instructions. She says she saw a teenager she held as a 16-year-old who was picking up a supply of needles and aiming high.

“It was a boy, he went to the van, got his needles, then went to the side of the parking lot and kept shooting,” Grace said to Dori Monson. “I think if people actually saw something like this going on, they would think twice about whether this program is actually helping people or helping them support their addictions. And it’s really sad. “

Can SCORE connect with children? Yes

Public Health affirms that “SCORE does not check IDs for syringe accessories or other life-saving drugs, including naloxone.” They also say their needle exchange programs have no written guidelines for minors of any age.

According to Public Health, there have been no reports from SCORE employees of minors making contact with the vans. Using limited survey data conducted every two years, Public Health reports that 30% of “needle swap customers” in the county (not just with SCORE) are between 20 and 29, 36% between 30 and 39, and 15% between 40 and 49 and 19% 50+.

However, the spokesman conceded, “We do not have a policy setting age requirements for exchanges, so I cannot say that there has not been or will not be a situation where a minor exchanges syringes.”

How should employees without guidelines respond to minors who are clearly minors? The spokesman explains:

[S]Taff would likely use her experience to make sure the teen doesn’t feel stigmatized and put them at higher risk of dangerous behaviors, including the risk of infection and overdose. With fatal overdoses on the rise in adolescents, it is important that staff are likely to involve the adolescent in discussions about its use and how to stay safe, including naloxone. It would be important for the staff to ensure that the young person knows that trustworthy people and programs are available to help. If, in the opinion of the provider, they believe that exchanging syringes could help build trust that will ultimately reduce the harmful effects for that young person and increase the likelihood that the teen will return for support, the provider may Opting for this exchange syringing is the best approach.

While SCORE is distributing needles, SCORE does not offer proactive advice on treating addiction.

SCORE is not proactive in treating addiction

Public health defends this “data-based” approach as a harm reduction model. Many addicts will use needles no matter what. Proponents therefore argue that addicts should at least be given clean needles. It reduces diseases like hepatitis C and HIV.

“There is no evidence that the syringe exchange program encourages drug use or induces anyone to increase their drug use,” the spokesman tells me.

I think it is naive to say that giving someone an injection does not induce anyone to promote or increase their drug use. What do addicts do with the needles they get? Aren’t there addicts holding back until they get clean needles?

There is no doubt that using clean needles is safer than using dirty needles. Public health rightly states that drug injection is a leading driver of Hep C. But even if a clean syringe is used, it is still not safe.

In the first quarter of this year, Public Health confirmed that 116 people had died from drug overdoses in King County. There are 42 other deaths that list drugs as a likely cause of death, but these have not yet been confirmed.

The only way to make sure these addicts don’t die from an overdose is to seek treatment. Do these programs do something like this? Barely.

According to Public Health, SCORE staff are very familiar with talking about resources and referrals for treatment. However, these conversations are “generally customer-centric”.

Why do I think this is important

If clear and convincing data showed that this model was helping to treat addicts, it would be a reason to reconsider the rejection of programs like SCORE. It may be inconvenient for taxpayers to pay for the needle swap, but if it shows meaningful results, it is worth a community discussion. We are all better served when addicts are helped.

But without this data, which doesn’t seem to exist, we are simply enabling an addict’s lethal behavior. It will eventually kill you. And on the way to that inevitable death, they won’t just suffer from the addiction itself.

Many addicts live on the streets precisely because of their addiction. Without treatment, they will not get on the right track. Dependence on certain drugs can increase the risk of schizophrenia, aggression, hallucinations, and paranoia. And when they live on the streets, they are prone to falling victim to other addicts or nefarious actors who hunt down the homeless.

Nor should we ignore the communities these addicts influence. Children can find used needles in playgrounds. Addicts live in dangerous camps near communities. And in order to feed their habit, they often commit crimes such as theft. Nobody wins when we enable addiction.

“It’s inhuman,” community activist Ken reminds us.

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