A resolution to rescind the county Board of Health’s decision earlier this month to terminate the county’s syringe-exchange program April 1 and continue it through Aug. 31, when grant contracts related to the program were set to expire, didn’t see the light of day at the board’s quarterly meeting Thursday morning.
Board member Vickie Raines proposed adding the resolution on the agenda. The two newly elected members — the Board of Health is made up of the three county commissioners — Jill Warne and Kevin Pine, who voted to end the program at the Jan. 14 meeting, did not approve the addition of the resolution to Thursday’s agenda.
The resolution said the syringe-exchange program is funded by contracts with other state agencies that are set to expire June 30 and Aug. 31.
“… the Board of Health recognizes that discontinuing the program prior to the expiration of the contracts could result in monetary risk to the county,” read part of the resolution, which resolved that the resolution ending the program “be rescinded with the understanding that the program shall be discontinued upon the expiration of the aforementioned contracts.”
Raines said the resolution was recommended by the county prosecutor. She said the contracts referenced impact not just the county, but two tribal entities and one other community entity. The end of the county’s involvement with the syringe-exchange program would cut off those grant contracts with the other entities and could result in a civil suit against the county.
Raines said after the meeting that she felt it was best to just continue the exchange until the contracts had ended. In the discussion portion of Thursday’s meeting, both Pine and Warne stood by ending the exchange April 1 — regardless. Warne said the termination of the syringe-exchange program was the main reason she ran for the office last year to begin with. Both Warne and Pine ran their campaigns — and won their races — with the ending of the county-run program atop their list of campaign promises.
The debate over the program was lengthy at two special Board of Health meetings, Jan. 5 and Jan. 14, with comment leaning in favor of continuation of the program for public-health and safety reasons centering around the risk of the spread of infectious diseases through the use of dirty needles.
The funding component of the syringe exchange was brought up at the two special meetings as well. Tim Candela, a drug user health coordinator with the state Department of Health, had asked that if the board intended to end the program to at least hold off until the contracts had run their course, saying the state would not have time to figure out reallocation strategies for CDC grant funds.
Susan Kingston with the University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute said the funding for the syringe-exchange program is tied to the distribution of Naloxone — used to treat overdose patients in the field — to law enforcement and others.
“Here’s the rub and unintended consequences of elimination of the program: termination of the program on April 1 would terminate our contract that we have with Grays Harbor Public Health,” said Kingston. “This would immediately prohibit us from fulfilling our commitment to law enforcement for Naloxone kits.” At the Jan. 5 special board of health meeting, she asked that, if the program were to be eliminated, to delay it to the end of the grant funding cycle on Aug. 31.
