A syringe service program in Sanford has closed for one year.
The pause is the result of city councilors' concerns about improperly discarded syringes. But Anna McConnell, executive director of Maine Access Points, which operates the program, says closing won't get rid of the problem.
"When there's a syringe service program in the community, there tends to be less improperly discarded syringes out in the community because there's a location to come and bring them," she says.
Over the past year, McConnell says the program distributed 346,000 syringes and collected more than 372,000.
And she says syringe exchanges are an evidence-based method that reduce the spread of disease.
"It's worth noting that this is happening during the worst HIV outbreak the state has ever seen," she says.
There are roughly 30 HIV cases in Bangor, and public health officials say Cumberland County is experiencing an uptick of five new cases this year.
McConnell says Maine Access Points will continue to provide HIV testing, naloxone and other services during the pause of the syringe service program.
