By Eileen Qiu

The most recent data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health show there were nearly 300 suspected opioid related emergency medical service incidents in Somerville from 2019-2020, 31 of which were suspected overdoses.

The Director of Health and Human Services Doug Kress motioned to declare the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic as an existing public health emergency earlier this month during a routine health meeting.

However, overdoses aren’t the only risks associated with opioid use. Sharing syringes is the second riskiest behavior for contracting HIV, and about 10% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States can be traced back to injection drug use according to statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 2019 Massachusetts Harm Reduction Commission Report stated synthetic opioids like fentanyl is one of the primary drivers in overdose deaths and Massachusetts is in the top ten states with the highest rates of opioid related overdoses.

The report stated the Commonwealth must harbor a culture of harm reduction with the primary goal of keeping people alive. Fenway Health is the contracted agency that provides the needle exchange program for Somerville Kress said.

The first needle exchange program in Massachusetts began in Boston in 1994, and others followed later in Cambridge, Northampton and Provincetown, Director of Communications at Fenway Health Chris Viveiros said.

“Our program began operations in the early 1990s under Cambridge Cares about AIDS. CCA merged with AIDS Action Committee in 2010 with later merged into Fenway Health. The syringe exchange has maintained a presence in Central Square throughout that time,” Executive Vice President of External Relations of Fenway Health Carl Sciortino said.

“Our program does more than just exchange syringes, it is a comprehensive drug user health program, providing harm reduction services including Narcan and overdose prevention, HIV, Hep C and STI testing and treatment access, access to behavioral health and clinical staff for an array of health needs, and support in seeking treatment.”

The Massachusetts legislature approved the creation of 10 pilot needle exchange programs in 1993 and in 2002, the Massachusetts state court ruled it wasn’t a violation to possess a needle if obtained through a needle exchange program, Sciortino said.

The Commonwealth is now pushing to expand harm reduction sites and pushing for the creation of a pilot program for safe consumption sites, according to Sciortino.