Harm reduction programs; public health emergency, etc. (HB2317)

Hello,
Enclosed please find the corrospondance between myself and Governor McAuliffe concerning the crisis we are under, between the closings of Pain Management clinics and clients reaching out to fentanyl laced heroin along with the rise in HIV/Hep C. What I wish to do is illegal, yes, but evidence shows that in other states nearby (NC, MD, NY, etc.) have shown a reduction in the rates of HIV/Hep C transmission, along with illegal drugs use. Please read my correspondence, as well as the reply, as evidence of my help in your making the opening of SEP’s very necessary in the state of Virginia. As noted, I am prepared to being immediately, if given the opportunity.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter,
Theresa Reardon, MSW, QMHP, SAC
Harm Reduction Safety Program (5013(c)3)
(804) 615-0546

—————————
From: Office of the Governor
Date: Thursday, January 5, 2017 at 5:02 PM
To: Theresa Reardon
Subject: RE: Can I open a syringe exchange/harm reduction program now? CRM:0014775

This is in reply to your email to Governor McAuliffe regarding the opioid crisis in Virginia and the possibility of operating a Syringe Exchange Program (SEP) in Virginia.

Following receipt of your communication, I asked the Interim Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Service (DBHDS) to have staff address your concerns. As you know, under current Virginia law (Sections 54.1-3466 and 54.1-3467) SEPs are not permitted to operate in the Commonwealth. Neither the Governor nor I can overturn the existing laws. It would require an act of the state legislators. You may want to contact your local representatives to determine their interest in sponsoring such a bill.

I was pleased to see your interest in Narcon as a viable intervention for those experiencing opioid overdoses. DBHDS offers lay rescuer instruction for Narcon and trainers’ instruction through REVIVE! I would urge you to consider taking advantage of the opportunity to participate in the training. For additional information, please go to [email protected].

Thank you for contacting the Governor and for sharing your concerns. I applaud your efforts and commitment and wish you all the best.

William A. Hazel, Jr., MD
Secretary of Health and Human Resources
1111 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
------------------- Original Message -------------------
From: Theresa Reardon
Received: 12/27/2016 7:54 PM
To: yy EadPortalGovCr
Subject: Can I open a syringe exchange/harm reduction program now?

December 27 2016 Dear Governor McAuliffe, I have been watching how your stance on the opiate overdose problem that has plagued the Richmond and surrounding counties has changed in viewing it as a disease, rather than a moral issue, with much interest. I would like to propose a solution that has worked well in other states. Opiate related emergency room admissions and deaths are no longer a problem in Virginia; they have reached the crisis stage. With the closing of several pain management clinics in recent years, many former patients have had to resort to poor quality street heroin containing fentanyl, which has instantly killed many young and older victims who were too sick to know better or care. This topic for the last eight years of my education has been the subject of almost all of my research work. I can also tell you that my son has lost 12 friends to opiate overdoses since the summer and I have lost 15 friends or associates in the same time. While this may be viewed by some as a form of enabling the intravenous drug user, I see SEP’s as an opportunity to not only prevent the widespread rise in HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, it will also be an opportunity to train and supply opiate users in the use of Naloxone (Narcan), of which I have been, and am able to train, in it’s administering by The Chicago Recovery Alliance, as well as several Harm Reduction programs in NYC, Long Island, and Washington, D. C.. Most importantly, I wish this to be a place where addicts can be educated in local and affordable centers for treatment when they decide they’ve had enough and wish to make a change. I have been granted the start-up costs for the items needed to supply by the North American Syringe Exchange Network (NASEN) and have registered my program as a 501c3 Non-Profit named Harm Reduction Safety Program. What I request is the ability to operate, legally, under crisis conditions, as well as funding for the free location(s) that those in need could come to exchange their used needles for clean ones, the ability to dispose of used needles safely, along with other supplies that could spread HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C to others (metal cookers, tourniquets, etc.) as well as Narcan. After eight years of college, I am currently a substance abuse counselor (Reynolds), and hold a Bachelor and Masters degrees in Social Work (VCU). I have worked to receive these degrees in order to, one day, implement a Syringe Exchange Program (SEP’s) in the Richmond (and surrounding) counties. I have also taught relapse prevention in Pamunkey Regional Jail in Hanover County. Respectively, Theresa Reardon, MSW, QMHP, SAC Harm Reduction Safety Program (501c3) (804) 615-0546