‘In a healthier place’

As Richard Muenzer and Mia Kirk walked through the underbrush near Little Chico Creek on a recent Sunday, they came across a homeless man with a small dog. Muenzer said good morning and explained that he and Kirk are volunteers with the Northern Valley Harm Reduction Coalition (NVHRC).

They were prepping for the group’s weekly gathering in Humboldt Park, which begins and ends with a sweep for needles. The man handed Muenzer a sharps container for used syringes he’d received from NVHRC.

Nearby, other volunteers set up a harm reduction station stocked with free condoms; sharps containers; first-aid supplies, including Narcan, which reverses the effects of opioid overdose; and sterile syringes. The needles are the newest edition to NVHRC’s offerings. They also are the most controversial.

Though the harm reduction group has state approval and the support of local public health officials, it still is experiencing pushback, including from prominent Chico figures, such as Police Chief Mike O’Brien and City Councilwoman Kasey Reynolds, as well as nearby residents and other community members, several of whom have stopped by to criticize the group.

Program Manager Angel Gomez says volunteers have responded by attempting to educate them about the program.

“I know many people are concerned that it is going to encourage or increase drug use, but the drug use already exists. All it’s doing is giving people the tools to do it in a way that is as safe as possible,” she said. “And some of the hopes are that, if and when people are ready to enter treatment or change their usage, they will be in a healthier place to do so, and they’ll already have a trusted resource that they can reach out to.”

NVHRC formed in July 2018, and has since provided free trainings for opioid-overdose response and the use of Narcan, syringe disposal and litter cleanup, and street outreach (see “A vital exchange,” Cover story, March 7). Rather than requiring sobriety for services or support, the group focuses on meeting people where they are in their addiction, with the goal of reducing harm.

People have been “extremely grateful” to be able to access the services in a safe, nonjudgmental environment, Gomez told the CN&R. Many have expressed appreciation for having a place to dispose of used syringes. “That has been a challenge for them in the past,” she said.

NVHRC also provides free HIV/hepatitis C testing, food, hygiene products and referrals to a variety of services, including health care, addiction treatment and housing.

Research has found syringe access programs to be effective in reducing transmission of these diseases among injection drug users, as well as promoting entry and retention into drug treatment programs. This was the driver behind the California Department of Public Health’s decision last month to allow NVHRC to offer syringes. The license is valid through Oct. 14, 2021, with opportunities to renew.

Locally, representatives from Butte County Public Health recommended the program, based on supporting data and given Butte County’s sharp increase in hepatitis C cases in the past five to six years, particularly among those ages 18 to 29.

During a City Council meeting in October, Public Health experts cited data showing such programs do not increase drug use or crime in the areas in which they are located, and actually decrease needle-stick injuries among first responders.

Local detractors, however, remain unmollified.

Councilwoman Reynolds recently criticized the effort on her public Facebook page, writing, “There’s nothing compassionate about handing out free needles to drug addicts in city parks. This is enabling, not compassionate.” She also posted a photo of the pop-up tent at the greenway.

In a phone interview, Reynolds, who was present for Public Health’s presentation, told the CN&R that while she finds the data about HIV and hepatitis C transmission “compelling,” she still has overriding concerns related to syringe litter and addiction treatment, especially given the region’s shortage of physicians.

“Ultimately, I’d like to see them get into help and get into sobriety,” she said. “Let’s deal with the root of the problem: What’s going on in that person that they are wanting to use drugs to cover up what happened to them as a child … ?”

Chief O’Brien has expressed reservations as well. He sent a letter to the California Department of Public Health’s Office of AIDS outlining his concerns, including the boundaries of operation and the model—distribution rather than a one-to-one exchange. (Public Health officials at the aforementioned meeting pointed to studies showing that exchanges limit the number of clients who turn to treatment.)

In response, NVHRC worked with the state to narrow its hours of operation and the areas of service. O’Brien told the CN&R he appreciated the changes, but that he’s still uncomfortable with the boundaries since technically the group is allowed to operate adjacent to Community Park. (Thus far, the group has set up only at Humboldt Park). He commended NVHRC for its litter cleanup program, and “admirable objective” to reduce the spread of disease.

“I would prefer it, quite frankly, in more of a medically supervised area, like in an actual storefront,” he said. “As police chief, I’ve got to look at the entire community… at our kids. There are parks where littering of these syringes causes me concerns.”

Gomez said syringe litter has been a problem for years, and that’s why cleanup is an important part of their programming. Providing services in a health clinic would reduce NVHRC’s efficacy, she said.

“A lot of the people we serve are mistrusting or feel fearful of entering a health clinic. And what we try to do is bridge that gap,” she said. “By having a community-based organization do that, it really helps people wanting to reach the services.”