Syringe exchange proposed

A certified syringe exchange could launch in Chico later this year, pending California Department of Public Health approval.

Angel Gomez (pictured), program manager of the Northern Valley Harm Reduction Coalition, said the program aims to keep people who use drugs as healthy as possible and reduce the rate of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. The organization already offers training and distribution of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and syringe disposal services. (See “A vital exchange,” Cover story, March 7.)

The exchange would operate 6-8 p.m. every Tuesday at Blackbird Cafe and 9-11 a.m. every Sunday in the Chapman-Mulberry neighborhood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such programs do not increase drug use or crime in the areas in which they are located.

Public comment is open until Aug. 12: Go to tinyurl.com/NVHRCapplication.