The number of sterile syringes a Bangor public health organization gives out has skyrocketed in the months following the closure of the region's largest syringe provider.
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness has seen a nearly 3,000 percent increase in the number of sterile syringes it distributes in the months since the Health Equity Alliance, commonly known as HEAL, shuttered its syringe exchange in early November.
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness gave out roughly 400 syringes in October 2024, but that number jumped to 3,000 in November, the same month HEAL closed its syringe exchange, according to Jayson Hunt, the organization's director of recovery outreach and community resources.
By the end of December 2024, the nonprofit gave out 18,000 needles from its 157 Park St. location, Hunt said.
"From my perspective, it's a huge increase and it has strained our capacity," Lisa Sockabasin, CEO of Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, said. "Since HEAL's decertification, the increase has been remarkable."
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness' spike in needle distribution comes after the Maine CDC suspended HEAL's certification to give out clean syringes in early November, before ultimately revoking it last week. It highlights the huge demand for the vital resource, which is intended to keep people who use drugs as healthy as possible.
The Maine CDC credited its ruling to suspend HEAL's certification to its failure to follow the state's syringe exchange policy, lacking the appropriate syringe service supplies and inaccurately collecting data, among other violations, according to a Nov. 4 letter the state sent to HEAL.
HEAL submitted a remediation plan to the Maine CDC in December, but the state ultimately revoked the organization's syringe certification on Jan. 14 because the plan "lacked timelines, action steps, and accountability for implementation regarding data collection, staff training, enforcing the state syringe exchange policy, staff qualifications and supply maintenance," Lindsay Hammes, spokesperson for the Maine CDC, said.
The goal of syringe exchange programs is to prevent people who inject drugs from reusing or sharing supplies, which can spread bloodborne diseases. This work is especially important at a time when Penobscot County is experiencing a cluster of HIV cases. Fourteen people have tested positive for the disease since October 2023, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control.
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness will give up to 50 syringes to anyone who needs them at any given time. Though they like clients to also return used needles, it isn't necessary to receive clean ones, Hunt said.
In addition to ramping up its syringe distribution efforts, Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness is working with the city to finalize an agreement for the organization to pick up syringe waste around the city. While the organization has always collected used needles from people, this new program would clean up contaminated needles left in public parks and other gathering places, Sockabasin said.
"We hope to deepen our partnership with the state and local government for syringe exchange and cleanup to address the needs of the community that we all love," Sockabasin said. "I'm very optimistic that we'll create a pathway for a cleaner community."
Though the agreement for the pick-up program hasn't been finalized, it would replace the contract HEAL had with the city to perform the same task. HEAL lost that contract last year in tandem with the November 2024 closure of its syringe exchange program and community center.
HEAL was previously the largest provider of sterile syringes and other harm reduction materials in Penobscot County. From November 2022 to October 2023, for example, HEAL's Bangor location gave away 658,627 sterile syringes, according to a 2023 annual report of Maine's syringe service programs.
"When organizations that have similar missions struggle, we all struggle," Sockabasin said. "Right now, we're focused on the clients who are lost because HEAL no longer has its certification. But, we need enough of these programs to serve the volume that's coming through the door."
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness and Needlepoint Sanctuary are the two remaining state-certified syringe service providers in Penobscot County.
If HEAL doesn't regain its certification and no other syringe programs arise, Sockabasin said her organization will need additional support from local and state governments to help shoulder the rising number of people seeking support.
The organization has also seen a 1,600 percent increase in encounters -- people who make contact with the organization to seek any service -- from October to December 2024, Hunt said.
Among the various services the nonprofit offers, Hunt said there has been a noticeable spike in the number of people seeking HIV tests, fentanyl test strips and naloxone, a nasal spray that reverses a drug overdose.