PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Health and Human Services Syringe Service Program served more clients last year than in 2014 but issued fewer single-use syringes.
“In 2014, we gave out 275,000 syringes to our folks that came into the exchange,” said Christina Hurst, public health programs manager for Health and Human Services.
“In 2015, we gave out 221,000, so we are seeing a drop.”
And that is a good thing, she told about 28 people at a Tuesday meeting of the Port Angeles Business Association, because it means the program has become more efficient.
“We ask people about need for the amount of needles,” she said after the meeting.
“Example: If a person injects three times a day, they need 21 needles per week. It helps us give only the amount they need, which reduces waste in the community.”
And that, in turn, reduces the cost of the program, she said.
In 2014, Hurst said the exchange received 800 repeat visits from about 234 clients in the community who then distributed sterile syringes to about 1,722 people.
The sterile syringes help prevent the transmission of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis among intravenous drug users.
In 2015, Hurst said the exchange received 865 repeat visits from about 275 clients who then distributed sterile syringes to about 2,264 people.
The exchange generally accommodates “a couple of new people a month, and they may come in once or they may be regulars we see every week,” Hurst said.
“We probably have about 75 to 80 people that are regulars,” she said, a number that has stayed about the same since 2014.
Many of those who visit the exchange act as middlemen for other addicts uncomfortable with attending themselves, Hurst said.
“Not everybody wants to come in,” she said.
Some are fearful of coming in because of the illegality of illicit drugs and the stigma against intravenous drug users, which remains prevalent in the community, she said.
The exchange operates on a one-to-one exchange policy. For each used syringe brought in, a sterile syringe will be given.
“If you get 10, you’ve got to bring me 10 back to get 10 more,” Hurst said.
“We don’t just give somebody what they want, and we ask them questions.”
The exchange provides an opportunity to connect addicts with additional services such as immunizations, medical referrals, HIV/hepatitis testing and case management services for drug treatment.
“We talk to them, and we really try to hone it down and work with them on these other aspects,” Hurst said.
The ultimate goal is to get addicts into treatment programs, she said.
“For me, any route into treatment is the greatest success that we can have, and we are seeing those,” she said.
“I’ve got to say I am extremely thrilled to be doing this kind of program. When I have people that come into my office and say thank you, I get tears in my eyes.”
A major goal of the exchange is to prevent as many used syringes as possible from ending up discarded on the streets, Hurst said.
“The interesting piece . . . is though we gave out 221,000 syringes [in 2015], we took back in 227,000 syringes,” she said.
“We take back more syringes than we give out.”
The extra syringes generally are bought from pharmacies or received via underground exchange programs not condoned by the health department, Hurst said.
“We are aware of a group that comes in and passes out syringes, and their logic is to get as many out there in the community to prevent disease transmission as much as possible,” she said.
“But they are not as concerned with taking them back. We are.”
“When people find these syringes in public, we ask that you bring them to us,” Hurst said.
“We map them. I have a big map on my wall. I keep track of where they were found. I share that information with the city of Port Angeles, and that is how we focus” cleanup efforts, she added.
“Any syringes brought in to us that did not come from a syringe exchange client are in a totally different category of numbers by itself,” she remarked.
Hurst encourages those who find needles to be extremely cautious during disposal because needles could be contaminated with serious diseases.
She offered these directions:
■ Wearing gloves, pick up syringes one at a time by the plunger opposite the needle.
■ Drop the syringe point-first into a plastic bottle.
■ Put a cap on the bottle.
■ Wash your hands immediately.
The walk-in needle exchange clinic is located at 111 E. Third St. It is open Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, call 360-417-2274.
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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.