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Q&A
Inquiry into funding and expansion of syringe-related programs
1:43:05
·
166 sec
Council Member Oswald Feliz inquires about the funding needed to expand the syringe redemption program and increase its accessibility. Health department officials provide information on the current state of various syringe-related initiatives.
- Feliz asks about expanding the buyback program to 14 locations to match the number of SSPs
- Questions are raised about increasing the hours of operation for the redemption program
- Health officials explain the pilot nature of the current program and plans for future expansion
- The department states they would need to follow up with specific funding information for expansion
Oswald Feliz
1:43:05
Thank you.
1:43:05
Time flies when you're having fun.
1:43:07
Can I just get an additional minute for some additional questions?
1:43:09
A few more questions.
1:43:10
So we have about 14 SSPs.
1:43:13
Is that correct?
1:43:14
And we have about eight new locations for the buyback program.
1:43:18
Why eight locations?
1:43:20
We have 14 areas where we're providing syringes without being exchanged.
1:43:24
Yes.
1:43:25
And also how much funding would be needed to expand the number to 14 locations so that we could have a buyback program in every location.
1:43:33
Also, just gonna shoot them all out because time flies when you're here and I got another opportunity.
1:43:39
Also, how much funding would be needed to expand the number of locations?
1:43:42
Also, how much funding would be needed to expand the number of hours?
1:43:45
I'm seeing one of the locations are available only between hours of four and 5AM.
1:43:49
I don't know who's going to not everybody's going to wake that early to exchange needles.
1:43:52
So any way we could make it during hours that people are more likely to be able to take advantage?
Rebecca Linn-Walton
1:43:59
Yeah.
1:43:59
So I think you're speaking about three different things.
1:44:01
So we have the 14 syringe services programs.
1:44:04
We have six outreach and syringe litter teams because what we're trying to do is blanket a number of different ways in which you can interact and safely dispose of syringes.
1:44:13
And then we also have the syringe redemption program, which is a whole entirely separate vendor who's working really closely with those 14 SSPs.
1:44:20
And so we have the outreach folks going out and they blanket in, they were selected for areas of high syringe litter issues and high overdose.
1:44:29
And we've been having those teams both funded and out in the community for a number of years now, providing everything from how to safely dispose of your syringes, but also food, access to come on over with us and get access to buprenorphine back at our brick and mortar site.
1:44:45
We have mobile locations.
1:44:46
And then we also have the syringe redemption program, which you're absolutely right, is in a pilot phase, and we just started I think two months ago, and we're really rolling it out and trying to build up community relationships as their first step.
1:45:01
And then also be available.
1:45:02
So you're absolutely right.
1:45:03
It won't be four to 5AM when it's fully running starting in July.
1:45:07
It'll be several hours of a day and moving around.
1:45:10
The reason that we have those eight locations is because it's pilot program so we can test it out and see what works.
1:45:16
And so that's a really important year to be able to look at that, work closely with the SSPs and the communities who are actually really excited about it we're finding so far and come up regularly to the van, and then make sure it's effective.
Oswald Feliz
1:45:29
Approximately, how much funding would we need so we could expand the number of locations to 14 out of the 14 SSPs that we have and also to expand the number of hours?
1:45:38
Ideally, how much additional funding would we need for that?
1:45:40
And that's the final question.
1:45:41
Thank you, chairs, for the additional time.
Rebecca Linn-Walton
1:45:42
We would have to get back
Lyle Braxton
1:45:44
to you on all of that.
Justin Brannan
1:45:47
Okay.
1:45:47
We've been joined by PS 94, the fifth grade class.