This brief is adapted from notes taken by Documenter Anna Doris, who covered the Municipal Corporations Committee in May. 📝 Read more about what happened.
A syringe program that offers supplies, testing and referrals for social services was unanimously passed by the City-County Council in June.
The Safe Syringe Access and Support Program grants people access to sterile supplies, naloxone and sharps containers, as well as testing for STDs, Hepatitis C and HIV. It also offers vaccinations and consultations for wound care.
Councilor Ali Brown said she worked for three and a half years teaching about STDs and HIV in drug and alcohol treatment centers, prisons and jails. She said the program is “so important.”
During the Municipal Corporations Committee meeting in May, Karly Van Slyke with the Marion County Public Health Department said the program, launched in April 2019, provides “a unique access point for people who inject drugs to receive healthcare and recovery services.”
Councilor Jesse Brown said his biological father died from a fentanyl overdose. “I wish he didn’t use [drugs] at all, of course, but he used them in a much more risky way because he didn’t have access to programs like this.”
He asked why the demographics showed the program disproportionately reached white people compared to Marion County’s demographics. Van Slyke said that there is still distrust in the system and people don’t want to interact with the program for fear of being arrested or having interaction with the police.
What’s next?
The Municipal Corporations Committee is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 20 in room 260 of the City-County Building, 200 East Washington St.
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