Delegate enlists county support for bill to end needle program

Showing the Washington County Board of Commissioners the “drug paraphernalia” his legislative assistant walked out of the county health department with on Monday, Del. Neil Parrott gained the commissioners’ support Tuesday for a state bill to stop the health department’s needle program.

Aide Nick Allman said he went to a county health department office on Monday and said he wanted free needles. He was taken to a supply room, where he could decide which type of needles he wanted, Allman said in an interview.

Reaching into a plastic bag, Parrott pulled out packs containing 20 needles, a tourniquet, cookers used to heat up drugs, cleaning supplies like alcohol pads, Narcan packs used to help people who have overdosed on opioids, and an instruction kit about how to safely inject.

“Basically this is a drug starter kit for someone who wants to get involved in injecting drugs,” Parrott told the commissioners.

Noting that Baltimore also has a needle program, Parrott said he didn’t think Baltimore’s program was effectively preventing disease transmission. He also said he is concerned about discarded needles found around Hagerstown. He cited the report last summer of a 2-year-old being stuck by a needle in Hagerstown’s City Park.

Commissioner Randy Wagner said he found the supplies Allman picked up at the health department to be “enabling” and was disappointed to see what was in the package.

“In my opinion, the whole root of Hagerstown’s problem is the drug problem,” Wagner said.

He asked if there was anything in the bag to help someone get counseling.

Parrott referred to a phone number for the health department and a pamphlet promoting the harm-reduction program.

The board voted 4-0 to provide a letter supporting Parrott’s proposed legislation. Commissioner Cort Meinelschmidt was absent.

Vice President Terry Baker said they could ask County Health Officer Earl Stoner to make a presentation about the program at a later date.

Stoner was at the meeting later to discuss another matter, but the harm reduction program wasn’t discussed.

In an interview, Stoner said health department officials think the program is valuable, but they would abide by the law and any legislation that passes.

Hagerstown City Councilwoman Emily Keller said in an interview she thought it was “absolutely ridiculous” that someone would turn such an important public health issue into a “political debate” instead of reaching out to health officials and others who could provide statistics about how the program is helping the community.

Keller is a member of a health department policy task force working to address the opioid epidemic in the county.

The point of harm reduction is to help people keep themselves alive until they are “ready to get help,” Keller said. “Not to pressure them into help.”

Since the county program began in the latter half of 2017, 424 different people have participated, harm-reduction program coordinator David Washington said in a phone interview.

For the last quarter, ending Dec. 31, 140 people were served with a total of 272 visits, Washington said. During that quarter, 124 people were referred to treatment and/or other services such as medical treatment, the Department of Social Services, 12-step meetings or Potomac Case Management.

In the same time period, 28,850 syringes were distributed, and 132 sharps containers were given out so needles could be safely returned, Washington said. He said 118 Narcan kits, 57 wound-care kits and 128 safer-sex kits, which include condoms, were distributed.

When someone comes in for supplies, a health official offers other services such as drug rehab treatment, Washington said.

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