SPRINGFIELD — Tapestry, an organization chosen by the state to provide needle exchange and addiction counseling services in Springfield, says the program has gone well since opening in February.
Liz Whynott, Tapestry’s director of harm reduction, said the state-funded program helps those in need both on site and in an ongoing street outreach effort. The program site is at Northgate Plaza, 1985 Main St., in the North End.
“We’re seeing people on a daily basis and doing a lot of street outreach,” Whynott said Wednesday. “We go to areas of high drug use and provide counseling and pick up syringes and engage people around their needs and try to get them to come back to our site for further services.”
The needle exchange program was approved by local and state health officials last year, occurring after many years of consideration and some controversy. The Springfield City Council rejected the program in 1998.
Helen Caulton-Harris, the city’s commissioner of health and human services, said Wednesday she is “thrilled” to see the program implemented, and urged that the outreach span all neighborhoods.
"The outcome of the data will be an indicator of success," Caulton-Harris said. "Also, if we are able to reduce the impact of the harm that is being done to individuals with substance misuse disorders and their families, the syringe access program can be touted as a success."
Under the program, Tapestry staff accepts and disposes of used needles and provides free sterile needles to drug users, while also offering an array of services, on-site counseling and referrals to help. The staff also finds used needles on the street and disposes of them, Whynott said.
Whynott did not have statistics available, but said the agency has disposed of hundreds of used needles at the Springfield location.
In addition, Narcan, a drug designed to reverse the effects of opioids on the body during an overdose, is available free of charge to people at highest risk, Whynott said. The distribution of Narcan is done without asking for identification due to the stigma attached to heroin use, she said.
The Tapestry program in Springfield has a first-year budget estimated at $600,000 funded by the state Department of Public Health. There is a program manager and six full-time staff members.
The program includes the following services: needle distribution, collection and disposal; HIV/hepatitis C/sexual infections testing; overdose education and naloxone (Narcan) distribution; substance use risk screening and referral to treatment; and mental health assessment and linkage to counseling and treatment, according to the Department of Public Health.
The referrals include substance abuse treatment and medical care, Whynott said.
The state lists the New North Citizens Council as a program subcontractor and there is an agreement with Baystate Medical Center to provide in-kind services, officials said.
The Springfield program is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The program phone number is 413-363-9472.
Whynott said it is helpful that Tapestry already has two other established programs at the Northgate Plaza: one providing sexual and reproductive health services and the other offering WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Family Nutrition.