Needle exchange a blessing

Posted October 2020

By Jonas Hobson-Reeves

Staff Reporter

The needle exchange in Multnomah County is a blessing for those who really need help.

It is one of the most effective systems for keeping those who are addicted or might overdose safe. The needle exchange is a service provided by Multnomah County Health Department and provides healthcare and new syringes for those in need. The county is hoping that the needle exchange has been an effective tactic in the war against drugs and there have been positive results. Those who show up are the ones who have needs they want from it and while they’re there they can be taken care of and referred to places to help them like shelters or rehab treatment. Someone I know works for the county and used to be a part of the needle exchange. Recently, he told me a story that changed my view on the exchange and it helped me see its worth.

This person works there and he told me this story—

“There was someone who had been coming to the needle exchange for months, and he was really bad, like super addicted. Then he got referred to an addiction help group, and a couple months later he showed up again to thank us for getting him out of the hole he was in, and hoped we could do the same for others."

After hearing this story, I changed my mind about the worth of the needle exchange program. Before, I thought that it was just a place for druggies to take free stuff, and that we weren’t fixing the problem at all, only making it worse. Then I began to see just how desperate they who come to the exchange are, and how they only need a little bit of help to guide them out of the dark world they're in.