Exchanging needles for second chance
Twice a week for two hours at a time, an unassuming windowless white van parks at the intersection of Fifth and Harrison streets in Wilmington.
Thirty-one-year-old Mike knows the van, and knows it well – it's where he can find clean works.
For the last seven years that van, the hub for the state's needle exchange program, has traveled to at-risk areas in Wilmington, serving as a clean syringe clearinghouse for those living with a drug addiction.
Those using the service turn in dirty or used needles, and the workers in the van, which is run by Brandywine Counseling, gives the visitors the same number of clean needles. Those turning in needles fill out some paperwork, but their name is not required.
"We can keep a secret," says a sign that's been typed and pasted on the inside of the van.
Without the exchange, the people visiting the van face medical risks such as HIV and hepatitis C associated with needles obtained on the streets. Since the program's inception in 2007, 290,736 needles have been exchanged, growing by 100,000 since 2011.
Mike, a Wilmington resident, has been in and out of rehab and is trying to cut his habit. After exchanging his syringes last Wednesday, he sat with a representative from Brandywine Counseling to talk about scheduling a counseling appointment.
"People just don't get on methadone; it's a work in progress," he said.
It's no secret opioid and heroin use in Delaware is teetering at epidemic levels.
According to the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, there are more than 15 suspected overdose deaths a month. The number of adult admissions into state drug treatment programs for heroin use increased nearly 50 percent from 2012 to 2013 – from 1,845 to 2,750 people.
As intravenous drug use rises, so does the risk of HIV and hepatitis C, health officials said.
Since 2007, the state says 1,802 people have been diagnosed with HIV caused by injection drug transmission. That's 33 percent of the state's total HIV cases, and about 80 percent of those cases are in New Castle County.
"Stigma is still one of the No. 1 reasons why people do not get tested," said Peter Houle, director of Delaware's HIV consortium, applauding the needle exchange's work to further outreach and educate on the virus.
Depending on when the infection is detected, the average lifetime cost to treat HIV ranges between $300,000 to $600,000. The cost of hepatitis C treatment is even higher, said Martin Luta, bureau chief for the state's division of communicable diseases.
Nationally, there has been a 75 percent increase in reported hep C cases from 2010 to 2012. It's estimated there are about 21,870 acute cases. But Hepatitis C transmissions are hard to track. Luta said the state does not have hard numbers on the virus.
"I don't think it would be a general, population-wide issue. It's more something linked to injection drug use," Luta said.
Domenica Personti, director of adolescent services and prevention for Brandywine Counseling, said that the van's staff on average diagnoses 12 new hepatitis C cases a month.
"It takes so little to spread hep C," Personti said.
That's where the exchange comes in. Any active user who is at least 14 years old and lives in the city of Wilmington is eligible for the program.
Not many people understand why the state wants to help provide clean syringes, Luta said.
"On the flip side, do I want my streets to be littered with contaminated needles, do I want these folks to acquire other diseases that may be very expensive for the state and community to treat," Luta said.
The needle exchange program is funded for $230,500 this fiscal year and supports roughly 2,275 people.
"It's a no-brainer," Luta said.
Many people believe the needle exchange encourages drug use. But Personti feels they are making a difference.
"It helps them to be safe and clean. We aren't just protecting the adults. We are protecting everyone who they interact with," she said.
For some people who waited to exchange their needles at the van's site last Wednesday, it was too late. They are infected, but the clean needles will prevent them from spreading their illnesses. For others, it's a chance to avoid being another statistic.
That's how 21-year-old Reese Brookes sees the program. Brookes, born and raised in Wilmington, works in outreach for Brandywine Counseling. She's seen many of her previous grade-school classmates using the needle exchange and still struggling to survive on the streets.
"I want to help them. That could be me," she said, tearing up.
Jen Rini can be reached at (302) 324-2386 orjrini@delawareonline.com. Follow@JenRinion Twitter.
Needle exchange sites in Wilmington
• C and Townsend streets, Southbridge
• Fifth and Harrison streets
• Sixth and Madison streets
• Speakman Park, 30th and Church streets
• Third and Delamore streets
• Third and Church streets, near Christina Park
• 14th Street and Northeast Blvd., Governor Printz
• Eastside, behind Benny's off Eighth and Church streets
Visitwww.brandywinecounseling.org/find-helpfor more information on times.