How syringe programs are tackling Ohio’s overdose crisis

 

Before working as a baker George Callas was a line cook in Cleveland and a frequent user of alcohol, opiates and tobacco.

“All my friends were my co-workers, and they all drank, smoked and did drugs,” Callas said. “It was commonplace.”

But all of that changed when Callas became a father.

“I immediately knew I needed to change my life,” said Callas. “I found Circle Health Services and they helped me get counseling and therapy for my addiction.”

Circle Health Services is a needle exchange program based in Cleveland, Ohio. As of 2022, Circle Health serves an average of 23,000 people a year for free. While a needle exchange program remains one of Circle Health’s main services, the organization also provides a variety of other services ranging from counseling to medical care.

Callas first went to Circle Health for the needle exchange. He credits the program with giving him a place he could trust to help get clean for himself and for his daughter.

“Honestly, I’ve gotten to the roots of a lot of the pain that I was trying to cover up with various things that I would ingest,” he said. “I’m luckier than most. I got a wakeup call and I’ve been completely sober three-plus years now.”

Not all Ohioans are so lucky. In 2020, the state set a record, with drug-related deaths increasing by 25% through 2019.

Ohio is number four in the country for overdose deaths with 5,300 overdose deaths in 2021 according to Mallory Bolen, Director of Operations for Harm Reduction Ohio.

“We need to stop blaming drug users and address the problem of accidental overdose deaths,” said Bolen. “Before we can solve the addiction crisis, we need to save those dying in front of us.”

Harm Reduction Ohio, a non-profit service and advocacy group in Granville, Ohio, is trying to fight for more syringe programs across Ohio. Their goal is prevention of infection, and they offer testing and referral for treatment for hepatitis C and HIV.

Currently, Ohio has 19 syringe programs operating in 21 counties and at 32 different locations. State law requires local health boards to approve new syringe programs individually.

In conjunction with the Ohio Department of Health’s Project DAWN, Harm Reduction Ohio distributed about 40,000 naloxone kits, which contain a medicine used to prevent the effects of drug overdoses, making them the state’s largest distributor.

Bolen said syringe programs, along with safe consumption sites and a legitimate ending of the war on drugs are the only ways to significantly reduce overdose deaths.

“Needle exchange sites have been proven to prevent overdoses and reduce the spread of diseases caused by injected drug use,” he said. “They provide a space for other services to help addiction.”

The Board of Health is using reproductive clinics’ needle exchange programs to fight diseases by testing HIV and Hepatitis as well as providing Hepatitis A vaccination to the population experiencing homelessness. 

Over 3,700 new cases of Hepatitis A were reported in 2022. 2,350 people required hospitalization. Over 25,000 people live with diagnosed HIV.

Eric Morse, President & CEO of Circle Health Services said services provided by syringe service programs can include HIV/HEP C testing, Narcan/Naloxone distribution, fentanyl test strips, counseling referrals, peer support, and Immunizations.

Though the rate of overdoses has drastically decreased, many people in the public are skeptical of the programs and their effects on the communities they are implemented in.

“Most commonly we hear people say they don’t want programs in the area because it will encourage drug use, crime and enable addicts to continue using drugs,” said Morse. “That just isn’t the case.”

Studies have evaluated crime rates before and after implementation of community programs and show no correlation, Morse said. “Syringe programs actually reduce drug use and provide actual solutions for people like counseling and treatment referrals.”

According to the CDC, people who use injected drugs are five times as likely to enter treatment for substance use disorder and are more likely to reduce or stop injecting when they use a Syringe Services Program.

Syringe programs prevent the long-term effects of injected drugs beyond overdoses. Clean needles and health education has produced a 70 percent decrease in reported bloodborne illnesses in Ohio.

In many areas, there’s strong resistance to syringe programs. Licking county banned any program from accepting dirty needles and exchanging them for clean ones. 

“It all comes down to sterilized needles. Dirty needles pass diseases, clean ones do not,” Bolen said. “Denying people healthcare will only lead to more unnecessary deaths.”