Washington: Needle Exchange Will Leave Van for an Office in Downtown Olympia

After years of operating from a van in a downtown Olympia parking lot, Thurston County's syringe exchange program (SEP) will move to an office in the Cunningham building, at Fourth Avenue and Adams Street, on April 21. Earlier this year, a developer purchased the Columbia Avenue parking lot from which the van had operated; that site will be developed as housing.

At the new location, SEP officials hope to offer clients rapid HIV screening, wound care by volunteer doctors, and on-site drug and alcohol assessments for treatment referrals. The SEP will keep the same hours, 2-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Moving to a warm, dry space and adding new services have "been my dream for three years, since I took over the [SEP]," said Malika Lamont, education and outreach specialist for the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department.

Demand for SEP services has increased, said Lamont, noting the SEP exchanged 510,391 needles and referred 194 clients for treatment last year. She saw many new clients at the SEP beginning last September, when the nation's financial markets began to fall. The SEP may also have had an influx from many patients of a local doctor now under investigation for false billing and tax matters, Lamont said. The program serves Lewis and Mason county injecting drug users as well.

The health department worked with the Olympia Downtown Association to ensure the SEP's new location would not interfere with business, said Sherri McDonald, the department's director. County commissioners approved the lease, which is $800 a month plus $100 for utilities, on March 31. The county receives a $124,000 state grant to run the SEP, which secured additional state funding to help pay the rent.

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