Letter to the Editor: Harm reduction program needed
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A few years ago, the director of nursing at the Washington County Health Department, Valerie Betkoski, began the C-HARM-ED program in Marietta. C-HARM-ED provides needle exchange services as well as other important services like Narcan distribution, treatment referrals, immunizations, and more. It was a slow start in opening and getting clients to come to the program, but C-HARM-ED now has a steady stream of clients that come in for services on a consistent basis. The Mid-Ohio Valley is undoubtedly in the midst of an addiction crisis, with Parkersburg being hit particularly hard, and this service is an important harm reduction program that reduces overdose deaths and disease among IV users and the general population. C-HARM-ED provides a very important service to Marietta, and it's time that Parkersburg opens up a similar program as well.
Needle exchange programs serve very important functions in areas strongly affected by drug addiction. These programs allow clients to exchange used needles for clean, sterile needles in an effort to reduce rates of disease transmission. Additionally, they provide IV users with incentives to keep used needles and dispose of them properly so that these needles do not end up in the public where they can transmit diseases to anyone who might accidentally come into contact with them. The staff of C-HARM-ED work to build positive relationships with the clients that consistently attend needle exchange services, which then makes it easier to gain these clients' trust and refer them to appropriate treatment programs when they're ready. Overall, this program has effectively made Marietta a better place and has saved the lives of many clients that attend. Parkersburg, too, could greatly benefit from a similar program.
Parkersburg, as a whole, undoubtedly has a negative outlook on addiction. Parkersburg City Council last year voted to impose a ban on opening new treatment centers and sober living homes, and I frequently see people suggest that an effective way to deal with the opioid crisis is to "let addicts weed themselves out." However, these solutions to the opioid crisis are simply not enough. Addiction is a disease that has become an epidemic in our community, and until addicts are ready to get treatment and move into recovery, we need an efficient harm reduction program that both saves lives and lessens the spread of diseases in our community.
Cody Salvatore
Parkersburg