By Zendelle Bouchard
City officials are doubling down on efforts to combat problems related to severe substance use disorder with two new initiatives: the Overdose Task Force and a possible ban on needle exchange programs in Sanford.
The Overdose Task Force (ODTF) was organized over the summer and had its second meeting on Sept. 4. The group was organized in response to the high recidivism rate of addicts who enter the criminal justice system, which negatively impacts the city as a whole as well as the addicts themselves.
City Manager Steve Buck told the City Council on Sept. 16 that the ODTF compiled a case study of the last 30 days in the life of a Sanford resident with substance use disorder (SUD). During that time, the person was hospitalized twice and jailed for a number of days but ultimately died from an overdose. “We need to do something different and better,” he said. “The cost of substance use recidivism is both a public health crisis and a matter of life and death.”
Buck went on to describe a model for a structured release program that the ODTF is developing, similar to one currently being used in Somerset County Jail. Individuals in the program would enter a medication-assisted treatment program using Sublocade, a long-acting injectable prescription drug for moderate to severe opioid addiction. The treatment would be coupled with a comprehensive plan incorporating counseling and support for as long as needed. Data from Somerset County shows that individuals receiving the treatment were three times as likely to continue treatment after release compared to those who didn’t receive Sublocade.
In addition to Buck and Mayor Becky Brink, the ODTF includes representatives from the York County District Attorney’s office, the York County Sheriff’s Department/York County Jail, Sanford Police Department, and MaineHealth. Representatives of Nasson Health Care and Sanford Housing Authority will also be added to the task force, and partnerships with ENSO Recovery and Sweetser, which offer this type of treatment, are planned.
On a second front, the council voted to instruct Buck to work with city attorneys to develop an ordinance banning needle-exchange programs in the city. Mayor Brink noted that while the decision last fall (see earlier story) to require the local needle-exchange program to return to a 1:1 swap paid dividends in the form of cleaner parks and public areas, since then discarded needles are beginning to once again accumulate on trails and in other areas around town.
Councilor Pete Tranchemontagne, who requested the ban, said “to not do anything is to let down the voters and the citizens…the 1:1 isn’t working.” Councilor Jonathan Martell added that “it doesn’t appear the 1:1 is being enforced,” although he offered no evidence that the needles are coming from the local program run by Maine Access Points. Councilor Ayn Hanselmann said she approved of the city’s efforts, but added that state-level change is needed, as addicts might be accessing other needle-exchange programs in York County which are still providing 100 needles for every one turned in.
A proposed ordinance will require a public hearing before coming to the council for a vote. https://sanfordspringvalenews.com/council-curtails-needle-exchange-program
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