Syringe Exchange Program In Santa Cruz County: Comments Sought

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Community members again have the opportunity to weigh in on a syringe exchange program in Santa Cruz County. January 20 is the deadline for the public to submit comments to the California Department of Public Health on the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County’s syringe exchange program certification request.

HRCSCC is proposing to operate at the following locations/times:

• Coral Street, between Limekiln and River streets; Sundays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. (This is the same location that HRCSCC has been providing secondary exchange services in collaboration with Santa Cruz County's Syringe Services Program for 18 months.)
• Home delivery by appointment on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The organization has attempted state certification before, but in May it withdrew its application due to public backlash. The group serves as an intermediary between Santa Cruz County's Syringe Services Program and intravenous drug users by distributing and collecting needles in Santa Cruz and Watsonville. If its application moves forward, the group will be able to deal directly with a sterile injection supplier.

The primary goal of the county's SSP program is to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases associated with injection drug use and to address the community's concern regarding improperly discarded syringes, according to the county.

All public comments regarding the current HRCSCC application must be submitted to CDPH no later than 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 20. Send comments to: SEPApplication@cdph.ca.gov

For more information see:
Fact Sheet - Syringe Exchange Certification Program (PDF)
Operating Requirements for CDPH-Certified SSPs (PDF)