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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWORKSHOP re: Harm Reduction Program reports JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Anya Callahan, Jefferson County Public Health DATE: August 3,2026 SUBJECT: WORKSHOP re: JCPH Syringe Service Program and Countywide Harm Reduction Community Impact Report STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Jefferson County Public Health is providing an informational presentation to the Board of County Commissioners regarding the Jefferson County Syringe Service Program and related harm reduction services. The presentation will provide an overview of the program's role in protecting public health,preventing communicable diseases, reducing community impacts associated with substance use, and connecting individuals with healthcare, behavioral health, housing, and substance use treatment resources. ANALYSIS: Jefferson County Public Health's Syringe Service Program (SSP) is an evidence-based public health program focused on preventing communicable diseases, reducing overdose impacts, increasing access to healthcare, and connecting individuals with substance use disorder treatment and recovery services. The program provides sterile syringe access and safe disposal, outreach services, point-of-care testing for HIV, hepatitis C, and syphilis, naloxone distribution and training, safer use and hygiene supplies, and referrals to healthcare, behavioral health, housing, and treatment providers throughout Jefferson County. Research demonstrates that syringe service programs improve public health outcomes, reduce disease transmission, and serve as an important connection point to treatment and recovery. This presentation will provide the Board with an overview of program services, evidence supporting the approach, community partnerships, and the program's impact on Jefferson County residents. FISCAL IMPACT: N/A RECOMMENDATION: Listen to the presentation and participate in discussion. REVIEWED BY: cD-0-P 7/21/? Josh D. Peters, County Administrator Date 1 Anya Callahan, LSWAIC Harm Reduction Coordinator Jefferson County Public Heal th Jefferson County Public Health Syringe Service Program Protecting Community Health • Preventing Disease • Supporting Recovery Why Syringe Ser vice Programs Matter People who use drugs are members of our community. Without access to basic health ser vices communities experience: Higher HIV transmission Higher Hepatitis C transmission More discarded syringes More overdose deaths Increased emergency room utilization Greater barriers to treatment Ser vices we provide: Disease Prevention: Sterile syringes Safe disposal Safer smoking supplies HIV testing Hepatitis C testing Syphilis testing Safer sex supplies Basic Needs: Water Snacks Hygiene supplies Weather protection Sur vival supplies Overdose Prevention: Naloxone distribution Public naloxone boxes Overdose response training Drug testing Recover y Connections: Detox & Treatment referrals Behavioral health referrals Housing referrals Care navigation Why Jefferson County Uses a Needs-Based Syringe Distribution Model Evidence-Based Public Health Practice Jefferson County Public Health uses a needs-based syringe distribution model, which is recommended by national public health exper ts because it: Ensures people have enough sterile syringes for ever y injection, reducing disease transmission Builds trust and encourages ongoing engagement with healthcare services Supports secondary exchange, allowing participants to deliver sterile supplies and health information to people who cannot access our program directly Reduces barriers to care by providing low-threshold, nonjudgmental access to services What the Research Shows Needs-Based Distribution Produces Bet ter Health Outcomes Research comparing needs-based distribution with restrictive one-for-one exchange policies has found: More than a 90% lower risk of HIV transmission associated with unlimited/needs-based syringe distribution compared with restrictive approaches (Kerr et al.). Better access to sterile syringes, reducing the need for sharing or reusing injection equipment (Bluthenthal et al.). Approximately 50% lower likelihood of syringe reuse among participants in needs-based programs (Kral et al.). Restrictive one-for-one exchange policies have been associated with increased syringe sharing and contributed to HIV outbreaks among people who inject drugs in Canada during the 1990s. Restrictive distribution increases health risks, while needs-based distribution prevents disease and supports healthier behaviors. Countywide Reach Naloxone Cabinent Partners Working with organizations and businesses across Jefferson County we currently have installed 16 boxes at locations including: • Jefferson County Public Health* • Believe in Recover y * • Brinnon Community Center * • Brinnon Fire Station* • Coyle Community Center * • Recover y Cafe* • Discover y Behavioral Health* 2 locations • Jefferson County Librar y • Velo Cats Collective* • Por t Townsend Library • Olympic Community Action Programs • Quilcene Community Center * • Quilcene Fire Station* • Tri-Area Community Center * • Por t Townsend Police Department • Victor y House • Jefferson Transit Four Corners Transfer Station* • Jefferson Transit Haines St. Station* The Washington State Department of Health “The Essential Role of Syringe Service Programs in Preventing Overdose Deaths” https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/f iles/2024-11/150297-RoleSSPsInOverdoseResponse.pdf 1.My th: "Syringe programs encourage drug use." Reality: Research consistently shows syringe ser vice programs do not increase drug use or crime 2.My th: "They keep people addicted." Reality: Par ticipants who access syringe ser vice programs are signif icantly more likely to enter substance use treatment than people who do not access these ser vices. 3.My th: "They only help people who use drugs." Reality: They protect: First responders, Children, Families, Healthcare workers, The public . Common Misconceptions People who use drugs who par ticipate in Syringe Ser vice Programs (SSP) are five times more likely to enter drug treatment than people who never used the progam. Syringe Service Program participants were: more likely to reduce injection f requency more likely to stop injecting altogether more likely to remain in treatment once enrolled Without SSP communities experience: More emergency room visits Higher healthcare costs More discarded syringes More communicable disease More overdose deaths Hagan H, McGough JP, Thiede H, et al. (2000). Reduced injection f requency and increased entry and retention in drug treatment associated with needle-exchange participation in Seattle drug injectors. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19(3), 247–252. Harm Reduction & Recover y Harm Reduction Suppor ts Recover y Many par ticipants visit dozens of times before they have goals related to absintant based treatment. We build trust and when someone says: "I'm ready to go to treatment, detox, MOUD....etc ." we already know them and can immediately connect them to services. Collaboration Par tnerships with: Behavioral Health EMS Fire Depar tments Law Enforcement Housing providers Recover y providers Substance use treatment agencies Healthcare providers Hospital Community organizations Harm reduction is one par t of a larger continuum of care. Recover y happens through relationships, not in isolation. JCPH SSP Grow th & Impact Year Encounter Syringes Out Naloxone Results from the 2025 WA State Syringe Ser vices Program Health Sur vey this graphic created f rom the National Sur vey of Syringe Ser vices Program showing that while JCPH ranks in the 36th percentile for budget, it also ranks in the 79th percentile for encounters/contacts - doing more with less funding. 2025 JCPH Par ticipant Sur vey “If it were not for direct inter vention f rom this program, I would have OD’d and died. I owe my life to this program. I love you and thank you.” Ever y interaction is an oppor tunit y to build trust, prevent disease, reduce harm, and create a pathway to recover y. Our goal is healthier people, healthier families, and a healthier Jefferson Count y. Citations: CDC, Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Opioid Overdose (2018) SSP participants are 5× more likely to enter treatment and 3.5× more likely to stop injecting; SSPs reduce infectious disease and improve public health outcomes. CDC Health Alert Network (2020) Recommends expanding SSPs and integrating them with behavioral health, housing, HIV care, and overdose prevention as a core public health strategy. Hagan et al., Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (2000) New SSP participants were 5× more likely to enter treatment and 3.5× more likely to stop injecting. Kral, A. H., Anderson, R., Flynn, N. M., & Bluthenthal, R. N. (2004). Injection risk behaviors among clients of syringe exchange programs with different syringe dispensation policies. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 37(2), 1307– 1312. Supports: Participants in needs-based syringe programs were about half as likely to reuse syringes compared with participants in more restrictive programs. Quinn, B., Chu, D., Wenger, L., Bluthenthal, R. N., & Kral, A. H. (2014). Syringe acquisition and disposal practices among people who inject drugs in Los Angeles: The role of syringe services programs. Substance Use & Misuse, 49(8), 1033–1041. Supports: Participants receiving larger numbers of syringes were less likely to dispose of syringes improperly. Wood, E., Tyndall, M. W., Zhang, R., Stoltz, J. A., Lai, C., Montaner, J. S. G., & Kerr, T. (2003). Attendance at supervised injecting facilities and use of detoxif ication services. New England Journal of Medicine, 354(23), 2512–2514. Supports: Peer engagement and low-threshold harm reduction services improve connections to treatment and safer behaviors.