Old Skool Outreach

It was not just any other day of outreach. On this day, Brandywine Counseling was rollin' thicker than usual. On May 21, 2007, the existing team of 5 dedicated outreach workers grew to about 20.

Old Skool Outreach was a successful effort to bring former outreach workers, including James Harrison and Shay Lipshitz, together with the present team in order to promote Brandywine Counseling's needle exchange program. The approach was "old skool" in that we kept it simple and real.

We walked miles across the city spreading the message of hope, recovery, health, and safety. We encouraged drug users to enter treatment, enroll in the needle exchange program and most importantly get tested for HIV.

It was very exciting and we were greatly appreciative to work with all of the people that were willing to come out and show their care and concern for the people in the city they serve. We hope this successful effort will continue and this one be marked the "1st Annual Old Skool Outreach Effort."
We would like to acknowledge and thank the staff at Kirkwood Detox and Brandywine Counseling, Inc. for volunteering their energy and time.

QUICK FACTS

• 20 Outreach Workers
• 5 Hours of Outreach Work Completed
• 3 Neighborhoods Covered
  
• 150 People we talked to
• 400 Condoms and safe sex kits distributed
• 6 newly enrolled NEP participants
• 10 people who got tested for HIV
  

270 Syringes And Counting

Most of us, if we got our picture in the newspaper, might get a congratulatory phone call from our parents. That is, unless we were picking up dirty needles in an inner city “shooting gallery.” Basha Closic’s father was understandably alarmed at this sight. However, that same picture was credited with turning “no” votes for Delaware’s needle exchange into “yes” votes, enough to pass the bill.

Three months into the program’s operation, Basha gave our audience a progress report. As of May 24, 2007, 34 participants had exchanged 270 syringes. Most continue to come back. The majority of referrals are by word of mouth. “We’re moving along slowly but surely, and safely,” she said. Basha also pointed out that Delaware has the only NEP run by a drug treatment program. This means our participants get to talk to “the best hands out there… treatment-minded hands.”

Basha is always willing to go the extra mile to help at-risk drug users. We’re proud to have her at Brandywine, and we’re pretty sure her dad is proud too. Click below to hear Basha’s update.

Basha_Closic_Remarks.mp3 (4:58)

Like Being Pregnant for Ten Years

Senator Margaret Rose Henry addressed the audience briefly following the recognition ceremony. She thanked the advocates and all those who helped bring about needle exchange in Delaware. Working to get her bill passed was “like being pregnant for ten years,” she said. Now, at long last, she gets to watch that baby take its first steps.

“It does my heart such good to see something you’ve worked on really come to fruition. This is important. This is about saving lives.”

Click here to hear Senator Henry’s remarks.

Margaret Rose Henry Remarks.mp3 (2:28)

Recognizing the People Behind Needle Exchange

The centerpiece of our needle exchange celebration was the recognition of our guests of honor: 15 people and organizations who were integral in developing the program. As you will hear, each of them brought something unique and essential to the effort. After all the honorees came up to the stage, BCI Executive Director Sally Allshouse announced that a donation has been made in their honor to the Campaign to End AIDS.

Click here to listen as we pay tribute to the following individuals:

Recognition.mp3 (9:23)

Senator Margaret Rose Henry, for leading the ten year campaign in support of this program.
Representative Helene Keeley, who co-sponsored the bill with Senator Henry.
Secretary Vince Meconi of the Division of Public Health for making HIV and substance abuse related issues a priority.
Dr. Jaime Rivera, Director of Public Health, for assembling the oversight committee.
Mayor James Baker for his commitment to reducing HIV/AIDS in our community.
John Baker of AIDS Delaware, for his persistent advocacy and leadership.
Renee Beaman of Beautiful Gate Outreach Center, for tirelessly supporting this policy change for years.
The Delaware League of Women Voters for garnering support to pass the bill.
Peter Houle of the Delaware HIV Consortium for protecting the bill and combating opposition. (Sorry Peter - I had to change my tape in the middle of your introduction.)
Nicole Leighton of Prevention Point Philadelphia for sharing her expertise and knowledge with BCI.
The Red Ribbon Advocates, who organized a rally and told their stories at Legislative Hall.

In addition, these individuals could not be present but also deserve recognition:

Senator Nancy Cook has been a supporter of initiatives to promote treatment and recovery to Delawareans in need of substance abuse and mental health services. She has continued to help ensure services for Delaware’s vulnerable populations. She has undeniably played an important role in the implementation of the program.

Representative Pamela Meier is an important leader and fighter for Needle Exchange within her party. She is also the chairperson of the House Health and Human Development Committee. This committee was responsible for moving the bill to the House for voting.

Lamont Coger has been running the Baltimore City Needle Exchange for over 11 years. He was there for its inception and has led his organization to provide its service at 17 sites throughout the city of Baltimore mornings, afternoons, nights and weekends. Lamont was vital to the realization of our program here in Wilmington. He hosted our team several times and shared not only his resources and procedures but also his staff and expertise.

Debbie Hamilton has worked tirelessly as a lobbyist to defend and fight for Needle Exchange. The reality of this program is undeniably due to her hard work and diligence. Debbie was able to get legislators to talk about this issue that in the past closed a door to this bill’s advocates. Her knowledge of the legislative process and lobbying helped other advocates to plan appropriate activities and responses to questions. We applaud her efforts.

As Sally said, this is an extraordinary group of people and we in Delaware are very lucky that they came together to make this program a reality. We thank them and we salute them.

I’m Almost Ready To Take The Ride

Today’s remarks are from our Master of Ceremonies at the NEP Celebration, David Isaac. A member of Brandywine’s Board of Directors, David prepared for his hosting duties by spending a day with our outreach staff on the van for a firsthand look. What he took away from the experience was insightful and poignant, particularly a conversation he had with one client who was weighing his options about entering treatment.

I’m posting the full text of David’s comments instead of the audio because there was some background interference and I don’t want you to miss any of it. So, please enjoy:

“I’d like to deviate from the program here for a moment because I’d like to tell you about my experience the day before yesterday when I actually went out onto the needle exchange van. I wanted to do so because I wanted to stand before you tonight not just to speak about it, but to know exactly what I was talking about and having experienced it. It was really an honor and a privilege and educational all at the same time. I’m not unfamiliar with chemical dependency as a disease, but when it comes to heroin addiction and what it can do, I’m not unfamiliar with that either. I grew up in a neighborhood where that was everybody’s drug of choice. They didn’t smoke pot, they shot dope.

“My experience the other day was very, very broad. We went out for two hours and we were there waiting for the clients to come. One of the things that I observed which was remarkable to me was the cross section of the culture. This disease does not select lower socioeconomic people only. It does not discriminate as to whom it might grab. I witnessed, I think, a total cross section of our community.

“There was one gentleman who stuck out, actually two people who really stuck out. One was a guy who drove up in a late model automobile, and he was very well dressed. He had good clothes on, I don’t know that he was well dressed, because addiction limits us from being able to really take care of ourselves. And the sad part is, that he looked as though he could have been a professional type person, but he looked very washed up, very tired. And it stuck in my mind, because I think that some of us, until we see it, might have this image that isn’t necessarily accurate.

“And it spanned all the way to a person who was obviously very much hurting from heroin addiction. The last client that came up stood there and talked to me for about ten minutes, and we had some of the most intelligent dialogue that I had the entire day. And I thought to myself, he’s an expert. I had remarked to one of the folks in recovery, ‘Recovery - nobody is too dumb to get it, but there are some who are too smart.’ It really is a very, very nefarious disease.

“I firmly believe in the needle exchange program because of the benefits, the obvious consequences. But I asked a lot of questions, like, what if a client comes back the next day and wants to exchange needles? You know, I think from an addict’s perspective, there’s an opportunity here. When a client comes up and gets five needles, and he sells three, regardless of the fact that he does that, you’re getting dirty needles off the street. That’s the point.

“And there’s exposure for these people, that if they want treatment it’s available. Where otherwise, they would not know it’s available. And this fellow, who struck me as being intelligent, looked at me, and one of the last things he said to me was, ‘I think I’m almost ready to take the ride.’ And I thanked him and I said, ‘Well, I hope it’s tomorrow.’ In fact, I said, ‘I hope you’re ready. Because it really is a good ride.’ And that was my experience going out on the van.”

"I wanted to acknowledge the people who go out every day because I can tell you they go to the areas of the city that some would consider putting themselves in harm's way, because some of the activities that go on are unpredictable. But I have a sense that they're respected in the neighborhood. Rochelle, I think she would straighten them right out, regardless of what happens. I had met her, and five minutes later I said, I see the glue that holds this thing together."

You Can’t Hide Behind Closed Doors

We are so grateful that Pat was willing to share her story at our NEP celebration. She is someone who has struggled with addiction in her life and in her family. Listening to Pat, you can hear that her pain is very much still fresh, and yet, she has turned it into great strength and passion. With 34 years clean and 13 years sober, she feels an obligation to speak out in the community so she can help others.

“I believe that anybody that’s been through difficulty has got to get out there and give a hand up. My philosophy is, if you’re on that ladder in life, if you’re on the ninth rung of that ladder, you should be extending hands two ways: one for up to ten, and one down to eight to pull that person up to your position.

“You have to get out and say to people, ‘Do you understand what this legislation is that we’re trying to bring about?’ [You] try to get people to turn around and understand what an impact it makes when they call or write to the legislators and say, ‘Listen, we support this [needle exchange]. Our neighborhood supports this. We have people in our families who need this service.”

Pat speaks from experience. She watched as her daughter went through addiction and eventually recovery. Now she is watching her grandson go through criminal justice problems. Despite her own experience with recovery, and having worked as a drug and alcohol counselor, Pat was unable to keep her loved ones from making the same mistakes. It’s for this reason that treatment programs are so necessary – because even our best intentions are not enough.

“The only thing you can do for someone who’s an active addict is to love that person. Hold your pocketbook and your wallet, but love ‘em… You can still stop the car and put your arms around them when you see them on the street and let them know that you love ‘em, ‘cause they’re still people.

“First step in recovery is to recognize the powerlessness, that you can only control one person, and that’s you.”

Click above to listen to Pat’s full testimonial. Her words are truly important for Delaware to hear.

If It's Legal, You Can Do It.

It’s a privilege to be able to bring you some audio from the Needle Exchange Celebration. There were some moving speeches made, and now you can hear them for yourself.

First up was BCI’s Lancaster Site Director James Harrison. James recalled seeing the impact of HIV/AIDS years ago as an outreach worker. He spoke of attending the funeral of an injecting drug user he didn’t even know - “I did not know his name, but I found myself crying for this individual.” James also noted that his own Hepatitis C might have been prevented if there had been a needle exchange program when he was using drugs.

Today, however, he is extremely excited that such a program exists, because lives will be saved. He acknowledged Senator Margaret Rose Henry for battling for ten years to get the bill passed. He also thanked BCI Executive Director Sally Allshouse, who would always respond to a new idea from her staff, “If it’s legal, you can do it.” Finally, he acknowledged all the support from the community since the program has gotten up and rolling.

Click below to hear James's full remarks.

James Harrison - Opening Remarks.mp3 (7:09)

Photos from our Needle Exchange Celebration

Last night was our Celebration of the Launch of Needle Exchange in Delaware. It was truly an inspiring event and a reminder of how important an accomplishment it is to have this program. I plan to have much more to write about this next week, but for now, we have pictures up on our web site, so drop by and take a look!

You Have to Have a Heart

Before Delaware’s first needle exchange program ever started, it received much attention in the local media. We’ve heard from those who support it and those who are against it. So when it came time to cover it for the BCI newsletter, it was a challenge for me to give our readers something they hadn’t read before.

It was while listening to the outreach staff do a presentation about the program that I knew the story I wanted to write. We hadn’t heard from the people who are out on the streets doing the work. So I let Rochelle, the Program Coordinator, do the talking.

In this excerpt, I asked her what makes someone a good outreach worker:

“You have to love dealing with people, and you have to have a heart. You have to be able to read a person, know when a person wants to be bothered and when they don’t. Also you have to learn how to set boundaries so that you can’t take your work home.”

You can read the full article, “Taking It To The Streets,” here. It’s my pleasure to work with these dedicated people and to bring their story to you.

Celebrate the Launch of Needle Exchange in Delaware

Brandywine Counseling is planning some special events during the month of May to celebrate the launch of needle exchange in Delaware.

On Monday May 21, join us for "Old Skool" Outreach to spread the word about the program in the community. Many of BCI's site directors and program supervisors started out as outreach workers, and they'll be returning for this special day. If you've always wanted to know what it's like to do outreach, this is your chance. It promises to be a fun day that will also make a real difference.

Then, on Thursday May 24, BCI will host a Celebration of the Launch of Needle Exchange. We will recognize key supporters of this program who helped make it a reality, and hear some powerful speakers attest to its value. This will take place at Theatre N from 6 to 8 PM and refreshments will be served. Space is limited, so please RSVP.

You can find more details and contact information for these events here.