Pubdate: Sun, 02 Mar 2008 Source: Asbury Park Press (NJ) Copyright: 2008 Asbury Park Press Contact: http://www.app.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/26 Authors: Leo Strupczewski, and William H. Sokolic Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange) POINTED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWO CITIES' NEEDLE-EXCHANGE PROGRAMS It Is A Weekly Ritual. Every Tuesday between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m., drug users looking for clean needles and impromptu counseling trickle down to Camden's needle exchange program, buried in the shadows of Interstate 676 and the city's port terminals. But, so far, turnout has been low and funding is scarce. That pales in comparison to the state's first program, which began at an Atlantic City outreach center with public funding and now boasts a crowd of clients. About 10 drug users were registered with the Camden program as of Feb. 12, when Kim McCargo and a number of other workers stood in the cold sipping coffee and waiting for new and returning clients. Their blue van -- the one that houses the needles and provides some shelter from the elements -- was in the shop. A dead battery had rendered it useless. On this day, McCargo, the program's director, and others stood by their cars. Needles and other drug paraphernalia were stored in their trunks. "Our services are our services," said McCargo, of the program run by the Camden Area Health Education Center. "We don't have anything else to attract." The health education center's motor home, where health workers draw blood for hepatitis tests, give instant HIV tests, and hand out snacks, blankets and condoms, is normally parked next to the needle-exchange van on Tuesday afternoons. Workers on both vehicles are trained to encourage clients to get regular HIV tests and tell them about treatment options. Since legislation for the needle exchange pilot program was introduced, critics have fought the program, some expressing concern that providing free needles would encourage drug use and create more addicts. But supporters say the program is one tool to slow the spread of AIDS. New Jersey, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that tracks U.S. health care issues, has the fifth-highest AIDS population in the country. Some 43 percent of New Jersey's 48,000 reported HIV and AIDS cases were transmitted through needles; only Connecticut had a higher rate, according to a 2005 report from the foundation. To trade dirty needles for a clean set, users register with the program and are given a unique identification card with a number that explains it is legal for them to have the needles. A simple questionnaire -- age, hometown, drug use, needle use and sharing -- is followed by offers for counseling, rehabilitation and health screenings. "Until (the clients) are ready to go into treatment," McCargo said, "we'll do what we have to do to reduce harm." When officials approved the needle exchange pilot program in December 2006 -- making New Jersey the last state to do so -- they did it without providing state funding. McCargo relies on private grants to fund the effort, the second such program in the state. She operates the program on a $75,000 annual budget -- a far cry from the $500,000 she hoped would allow her to run the program three days a week at locations around the city. It is a different story in Atlantic City, the first legal exchange program in the state. Housed inside a well-known outreach center four blocks from the bus center and a half-block from the jitneys, Atlantic City's program has registered more than 175 people, said Georgett Watson, the program's director. The city pays staff salaries and provides an annual $50,000 contribution for purchases and supplies. It means plenty to Greg Seitchick, a 30-year-old Galloway resident. Seitchick, a heroin addict who turned to the drug after a reliance on painkillers proved too expensive, is trying to get clean. While he waits for a spot to open at the city's methadone clinic, he's hoping clean needles will eliminate the chance of contracting hepatitis or HIV. "It's a smart thing," he said, turning in five dirty needles for 10 clean ones. "You see needles everywhere, in alleyways, even in Galloway Township. This lowers the risk of people sharing needles." Added Ron Cash, Atlantic City's health department director: "This is a great tool to add to prevent HIV. . . . People are dying. Eventually I think this will save lives." Though the differences between the two cities are pronounced, the core mission is the same. The state approved the pilot program to be conducted and evaluated for three years to help curb the spread of HIV and AIDS. Two other cities -- Paterson and Newark -- were also approved for the program. Paterson began its program recently; Newark was expected to begin soon, said Tom Slater, spokesman for the state Department of Health. Slater said the questionnaires for the clients are evaluated by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and noted it was too early to be concerned with low registration numbers. He did say, however, that the information is important. "We need the data to determine if we can move forward with more programs in the future," he said. For weeks, leaflets have been distributed near Camden's methadone clinic, and people have been passing the word on where to get free, clean needles. A placard taped to the back of the program's van shows different needles. They vary in size, length and capacity. Interviewed at the van, 41-year-old John Pruestel said he's been shooting drugs for half of his life. Mostly, the Camden resident says, he uses heroin and cocaine. He appreciates the clean needles -- and not just because they might keep him from contracting HIV. When he uses old ones repeatedly, he said, "sometimes, they're like nails," and tear up his arm. McCargo said the program's workers discuss the choices of needles with users, educating them as to why one needle would be safer than another. - --- The Associated Press contributed to this story. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom