A growing epidemic in Louisville has taken over recent headlines: used syringes have been littering children’s parks and playgrounds. There have even been reports of drug use and selling near a preschool in the West End. This pandemic is spreading through Louisville, endangering children and adults alike. However, there is a reasonable solution to combat this matter: Community Sharps Disposal Kiosk Initiative.
Louisville’s Department of Public Health and Wellness are spearheading the initiative after hearing citizens’ concerns. The goal of the initiative is to provide a safe disposal spot for used needles while simultaneously providing education about substance use, care for HIV and viral hepatitis, naloxone distribution and education about overdose prevention to those who are interested. Large, red kiosks allow for citizens who use injection to dispose of the syringe in a secure and sanitary location. While this solution to Louisville’s issue sounds very promising, and has been proven to work, there are only five kiosks in the city. If the public had more access to these kiosks and to education, the issue of discarded syringes would be even further reduced.
“We already take in hundreds of thousands of syringes from community members through our syringe exchange sites, our harm reduction outreach services, programming, and pretty much anyone who brings syringes to our main office at the health department,” said Ben Goldman, the Community Health Administrator for Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness.
Goldman finds that the current initiatives work but believes that they could function even better. Overall, the Health Department recognized three main factors of why an individual would avoid disposing of their syringes appropriately: intimidation, stigma and inconvenience. Goldman understands that many people do not have access to government buildings or are scared to dispose of their syringes in the building. This is why the kiosks were invented.
“We started purchasing and installing these boxes around town in areas where we were receiving lots of complaints about improperly discarded syringes,” Goldman said. “Our department believes that people make choices based on the choices they have available to them, and if people have access to a safe, secure way of disposing of syringes, they’re much more likely to do so.”
Moreover, non-drug users are able to utilize what the initiative provides. Now, when an individual sees a discarded syringe, it is easy to take the syringe to the disposal kiosk and remove it off the street. Still, Goldman believes that the system can be improved upon by further educating Louisville’s community. One of the major issues the initiative faces is a lack of community approval. Goldman explained that it is important to respect the opinions of a community, even if they are misinformed. When the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness approaches a community to potentially introduce a kiosk, the department first wants to ask if it is okay or acceptable. Some communities have asked for the kiosk and some believe that having a kiosk will attract criminal activity.
“Because those syringe boxes were placed in neighborhoods where we already were seeing large numbers of people using drugs, some people flipped that causation. So they think, ‘Oh, well, the reason that there are so many people who are using drugs in that neighborhood is because the health department put a syringe disposal box there.’” Goldman said.
This is not the case. Goldman stated that the Department of Public Health and Wellness only attempts to place the kiosks in places of need and finds that the only effect is positive. The Department has not seen the kiosks attract any criminal activity. However, throughout the U.S. the stigma around using drugs and syringes makes it difficult for Goldman and his team to get the truth across to citizens.
“I’ve had residents tell me, ‘I don’t want you to put a box in my park because I’m worried that it’ll attract people who use drugs.’ And whenever I’m told that, I try my best to explain that we haven’t seen that in any of the locations,” Goldman said. “ I think that we still face a lot of sort of moral judgment related to substance use in this country.”
In the end, Goldman says that to allow for the kiosk initiative to take off completely and to provide Louisville with the most good, the stigma around using syringes and substances must be reduced. Louisvillians need to step in and do their part. If a citizen finds an improperly discarded syringe either call Metro at 311 or the Health Department at (502) 574-8800. Additionally, for those who feel comfortable, the Health Department hosts Harm Reduction Outreach Services which trains an individual on many life saving techniques and health resources. The service also covers how to safely dispose of syringes using tongs or other utensils.. Even high schoolers can come to the sessions with parental supervision. Every individual has a role in the cleaning up of Louisville.
“A lot of our neighbors are suffering, and it can be hard sometimes to have compassion for people who are suffering when that suffering also can cause its own harm or its own degradation of public spaces. But I think recognizing that we all deserve to live in a community that’s safe, we all deserve to live in a community that’s healthy and that there’s a place for all of us to help bring that about.” Goldman said.
