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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Eliot Thompson, Outreach Coordinator at Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center
1:33:27
ยท
3 min
Eliot Thompson, Outreach Coordinator at Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center, strongly opposes Intro 868 and Intro 1169, arguing that these bills would increase infections and fatal overdoses in New York City. Thompson emphasizes the importance of harm reduction approaches and the effectiveness of Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) in saving lives and connecting people to treatment.
- Intro 868 is criticized for effectively criminalizing homelessness in parks near schools and playgrounds, where many homeless individuals seek refuge.
- Intro 1169 is opposed due to potential risks of accidental syringe contamination or needle sticks, with Thompson advocating for the current system of personal sharps containers and large sharps containers managed by harm reduction centers.
- Thompson urges the city to fund additional large sharps containers and more small containers for personal use instead of passing these bills.
Eliot Thompson
1:33:27
Good morning, mental health disabilities and addiction committee members.
1:33:30
My name is Elliot Thompson and I am the outreach coordinator and I run the syringe exchange at the Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center.
1:33:38
We're a care management and harm reduction nonprofit that has helped tens of thousands of New Yorkers since 1991, and I'm here to give my strong opposition to two proposed bills, intro eight six eight and eleven sixty nine, that I believe would increase infections and fatal overdoses in New York City.
1:33:53
Harm reduction means using evidence based approaches to reduce the personal and systemic harms associated with drug use.
1:33:58
It means meeting people where they are with compassion and respect.
1:34:02
I do outreach in our community, mainly in public parks, distributing sterile syringes, sharps containers like this one, Narcan, as well as medical supplies, socks, food, and other necessities to people that to people that need them.
1:34:15
This work is twofold.
1:34:16
One, it helps them immediate critical need, and two, it builds relationships with our participants so they will trust us and come to our center to receive more services.
1:34:25
This approach is not enabling.
1:34:26
On the contrary, according to the CDC, people who use SSPs like ours are upwards of five times more likely to receive treatment for their substance use and upwards of three times more likely to reduce or stop injecting drugs.
1:34:38
Narcan distributed by us was used at least 53 times to reverse overdoses last year, and that is just from people who reported it back to us.
1:34:46
Our work saves lives and it gets results.
1:34:48
It is to protect the our work that I oppose intro eight six eight, prohibiting the distributions of hypoderminal needle needles by mobile syringe service programs within 450 feet of schools and playgrounds.
1:35:00
I presume this bill is intended to keep people who use drugs away from kids, but I assure you our participants are not interested in interacting with kids.
1:35:09
Many of them are experiencing homelessness and public parks, are often near playgrounds and often near schools, are some of the only places they can go without feeling like they're being hassled or feeling like they're in other people's way.
1:35:20
Essentially, bill makes being homeless illegal in the only places we've allowed the homeless to be.
1:35:26
This bill is morally cruel, but it's also impractical because to help someone, you have to be able to find them.
1:35:31
Our people are in parks.
1:35:32
We know they're there.
1:35:33
They're not trying to coerce or interact with children.
1:35:35
They're looking for a safe place to be.
1:35:37
I oppose this bill because it would cause the increased persecution and harassment.
1:35:41
I oppose the bill because the lifesaving work of harm reduction of distributing harm reduction supplies, including syringes, should not be restricted to areas far from parks and schools.
1:35:50
If you're worried about syringe litter, help us pick it up.
1:35:54
Don't criminalize the existence of an already precarious population.
1:35:58
I also oppose intro eleven sixty nine, safe collection and disposal of needles and syringes.
1:36:03
I oppose this bill because it invites an unacceptable risk of accidental syringe contamination or needle sticks.
1:36:08
At our harm reduction center, we collect syringes in large sharps containers and pay a specialty company to collect them safely when full.
1:36:15
We also distribute personal sharps containers our participants like this one.
1:36:19
These containers prevent infections and should be everywhere.
1:36:22
We fully support a DOHMH database cataloging large sharps containers in every neighborhood.
1:36:27
We hope the city will fund the installation and collection of these like community trash and recycling bins.
1:36:32
We appreciate the good intentions of the bill, but object to requiring hard production centers to provide disposable receptacles in each program location in areas that are publicly accessible at all times.
1:36:42
Our system works.
1:36:44
Participants ask us for personal sharps containers and return them to us for us to dispose of.
1:36:49
We build trust with the with our participants, and the system prevents people from absentmindedly taking out their used syringes.
1:36:55
Instead, we ask the city fund additional large sharps containers and more small containers for personal use.
1:37:01
Please vote no on bills eight six eight and eleven sixty nine.
1:37:05
Thank you.