The city’s medical services director, Dr. James Dunford told a City Council committee Nov. 13 that more than 2.5 million dirty needles were properly disposed of since the start of the city’s Clean Syringe Exchange Program.
Presenting the Safe Point San Diego Clean Syringe Exchange Program Annual Report for fiscal year 2014 Dunford then asked Council members to imagine the stack of 2.5 million dirty needles: “Put that at Petco Park and see what kind of pile you’d be looking at.”
Dunford told members of the Public Safety & Livable Neighborhoods Committee the program has taken in 405,416 dirty needles just in the last fiscal year. He said the program has collected 276,958 more syringes than clean ones distributed to drug addicts.
The program’s purposes since 2002 have always been the same: Reduce the spread of HIV (AIDS) and Hepatitis C – not only to addicts and their families, but to police officers, firefighters, paramedics, sanitation workers and the public from accidental needle sticks.
“There were dirty syringes being found all over the place, at beaches, and children’s playgrounds,” said Dunford.
The City’s mobile units collect the dirty needles during a three hour nighttime period downtown and three hours in North Park. Dunford said the drug addicts come discretely to the location and quickly leave afterwards.
“The clients know to come in and get out,” said Dunford.
He said the program operated with a “quid pro quo” in which addicts could get clean needles in exchange for dirty ones but it would also come with referrals to drug treatment programs, HIV counseling, healthcare and other services.
He cited the statistics of 686 new client visits, compared with 13,826 repeat client visits in the last year. There were 12,847 referrals, which broke down to 742 to substance abuse treatment; 775 to detoxification services; 717 to mental health treatment; 1,219 to primary medical care and 9,394 to other referrals.
“I am very happy to report there are no major issues. No complaints of note,” said Dunford. “No police issues that have been brought to our attention.”
San Diego has the third highest AIDS rate in the state, said Dunford. There were more than 2,000 diagnoses last year of Hepatitis C in San Diego.
The program is operated by Family Health Centers of San Diego and Tim Fraser, the director of community and government relations, told the committee the organization is very committed to the program “and we want to continue to see it thrive.”
“We thank the City Council for their continued support and funding effort. We do continue to see the increased need and desire and our referrals are coming through so we are very supportive of this program,” said Fraser.
The City doesn’t directly pay for the program, but it has received $201,255 in community development block grants from the state that were authorized by the City Council since 2012.
Private donors for the program include the Human Dignity Foundation; AIDS United; Comer Foundation and MAC AIDS Foundation.
“Unfortunately, we still don’t have the County on board with it, and I harp on this every year,” said Committee Chairwoman Marti Emerald.
“I don’t know what its going to take for the County supervisors to come on board and help us to really expand our reach when it comes to getting dirty needles off the streets and help drug addicts into care,” said Emerald.
“The problem doesn’t end at the city limits,” said Dunford.
There were no speakers against the program, and Emerald played devil’s advocate and asked Dunford if the program would increase drug use.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” replied Dunford.
Dunford said he talks to inmates in jails, and he said he was “astounded by the number of drug addicts I see.” He said he asked inmates if they used dirty needles and most of them said they used the City’s clean needle exchange program because they didn’t want to get AIDS or Hepatitis C.
Client demographics in 2014 have remained similar over the last six years, such as:
• 73 percent male
• 75 percent white; 14 percent Hispanic; 9 percent other; 4 percent African American
• 77 percent high school graduate
• 69 percent unemployed
• 42 percent owns, rents; 25 percent homeless; 22 percent stay at friends; 11 percent other
• 35 is median age
• 68 percent never married; 21 percent divorced, widowed; 9 percent married; 2 percent domestic partner
“I appreciate the report,” said 4th District Councilmember Myrtle Cole.
Also hearing the report was 2nd District Councilmember Ed Harris, at his last meeting, who will be replaced by Republican Chris Cate in December.
To read the full report visit: http://docs.sandiego.gov/councilcomm_agendas_attach/2014/psln_141113_8.pdf
