Resistance to harm reduction grows in Haywood

Chairman points critics toward the facts

BY JESSI STONE N EWS EDITOR

Tensions ran high at the Aug. 3 Haywood County Board of Commissioners meeting as harm reduction critics become more vocal in their opposition and community health advocates become more frustrated over a lack of facts and understanding surrounding substance use disorder.

About 10 people spoke to commissioners during public comment regarding the county’s partnership with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, which supports a number of programs to help people experiencing homelessness and/or dealing with substance use disorder in Haywood County. Half of them were supportive of the coalition while the other half were opposed and wanted the county to end its partnership with the organization.

Jean Parris, a community advocate who started the Drugs in Our Midst education program in 2011, spoke in favor of the many harm reduction programs that have been implemented in Haywood County in the last eight years. She said she and then Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed first heard about harm reduction models in 2012 when N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition Director Robert Childs came to speak to them about the use of NARCAN, a medication that assists in stopping or reversing the effects of a drug overdose.

“Bill and I were skeptical, but his talk and his stories turned us around,” Parris said. “Immediately we said we want to do that.”

Not long after that, Waynesville Police Department became one of the first agencies to start carrying the lifesaving drug in every patrol vehicle. She said the Harm Reduction Coalition has helped supply the NARCAN at no cost to taxpayers and has also saved many lives since that time.

“We never paid a dime for NARCAN and I don’t want us to ruin that relationship. (The coalition) furnished us with syringes — we don’t want to ruin that but we do want to do a better job at keeping the numbers,” Parris said.

Parris was speaking directly to Commissioner Mark Pless. Pless has been questioning the information the coalition provides to the county and has been demanding more data and accountability from the organization for several months. Parris told Pless it wasn’t his responsibility to take calls from people who find improperly disposed needles in the county. She reminded residents to call the proper law enforcement agency if they discover used syringes in their area. Officers are trained and have the necessary tools needed to pick up sharps and properly dispose of them. That way, Parris said, law enforcement and the Harm Reduction Coalition will have a better count of needles picked up in the county.

Peggy Hannah told commissioners she was against harm reduction measures and wanted to see the county get out of the contract agreement it has with the coalition. She said a lot of people were unhappy with the situation surrounding addiction and homelessness — problems they attribute to the coalition’s presence and work in the county.

“Is this the best we can do to help our addicts? Is there a way to make more progress instead of continuously enabling them with clean syringes instead of giving them hope to move forward?” she asked.

Kelly Kashella claimed she’s been trying to get her niece clean for 17 years, but it seems hopeless when the Harm Reduction Coalition gives her 100 clean needles.

“How many addicts are getting this type of supplies,” she said. “And they were handing out NARCAN all over Ninevah the other day… it’s to the point I can’t sit back and be quiet. My kids can’t even walk home from school at Waynesville Middle without seeing needles.”

Jesse-Lee Dunlap and Becca Goldstein — who are both harm reduction workers in Haywood — tried to provide facts about its practices and offer firsthand stories about the impact they’re having in people’s lives.

To clarify, Dunlap said the syringe program is only one piece of a much bigger harm reduction puzzle. Providing NARCAN to first responders is harm reduction, the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program adopted by Waynesville and Canton police departments is harm reduction, post overdose visits are harm reduction, providing fentanyl test strips, connecting clients with treatment is harm reduction and CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) training for law enforcement officers is harm reduction.

Haywood County had 209 overdose reversals performed in 2019 and has already surpassed that number in 2020, Dunlap said. But the problems people are encountering in Haywood go far beyond drug use.

“I get calls about housing, food, issues with landlords, people needing rides to doctor’s appointments,” they said.

On March 31, the Balsam Center in Waynesville had to shut down its 24/7 mental health crisis center, which means many of the calls Dunlap now receives are from people experiencing a mental health crisis with nowhere to go.

They also argued that finding people a secure place to live is a barrier to getting people off the streets and into treatment.

“Seventy-nine percent of people coming out of the Haywood jail are homeless … the quickest way to put us out of a job is to put funds toward housing and mental health treatment facilities,” Dunlap said.

Goldstein shared her experience doing post overdose visits in Haywood County and invited commissioners to join her soon.

“I can’t describe to you what it’s like to see a participant access medication-assisted treatment. I can’t describe to you what it looks like when a participant has a severe mental health diagnosis and I can’t describe what it’s like to show up at someone’s house, knock on their door and talk to them after an overdose,” she said.

While some participants are more than capable of getting resources themselves, Goldstein said a visit from the Harm Reduction Coalition is often the first time they’ve received help with no judgment and no strings attached.

“I’m saying, ‘I care about you, I want you to be safe, I want you not to die,’” she said. “It takes a few times until they trust me and then I start asking about services and the trauma they’ve experienced. Then they tell you about the suffering of their friends, family and community — they are much quicker to tell you the needs of others more than themselves.”

It was through a harm reduction participant that Goldstein learned about a marginalized family that had been living without water and electricity since December. Even though no one in the household used drugs, they didn’t know how to access the help they needed.

Community health worker Kasey Valentine Steffen told commissioners she is exhausted from trying to explain these issues over and over again and trying to

explain that the resources needed to make a difference just aren’t there anymore. As a Haywood County native, she said she’s fortunate to have a number of friends, families, churches and other resources to call upon if she needs help with food, paying bills, child care or anything else. However, she said, many people in the county don’t have those same privileges.

“I try to connect people to the resources I have,” she said. “Since October I’ve been trying to explain to you the resources are going down. People don’t want government involvement but I don’t see support growing anywhere else. Harm Reduction would come pick people up at midnight and take them to the Balsam Center, but now that’s closed.”

While Steffen said she would continue to seek grant funding to meet the growing needs in the community, she said she didn’t understand why Haywood County government refused to take COVID-19 relief money to put toward solving these problems.

“I’m not going to stop fighting for addicts because they have value too,” she said.

Ashley Bradley, who recently started Kaitlynne’s House in Waynesville, a halfway house for recovering mothers, agreed that the county needed to support the nonprofit programs that were F

working, especially if the commissioners refused to put public money toward them. People like Bradley, Dunlap, Goldstein and Steffen are the ones on the frontlines — they have been to drug houses in the middle of the night to pull someone’s loved one out and they have visited them in the hospital to let them know there’s help for them during their most vulnerable moment. However, it’s hard to help people when there is a long wait list to get into a treatment facility.

Following public comment, commissioners were given the chance to talk about harm reduction measures and the contract the county has with the coalition to provide these types of services using federal grant money the county received last year.

Commissioner Brandon Rogers said he’d been researching harm reduction programs the last few months anticipating the board would be discussing whether to extend the grant contract with HRC.

“I believe in programs that work, but if not I want to look at fixing that. I know this program was set up initially to be a good thing, but there’s red flags that have come up recently,” he said.

Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick said he hadn’t yet done any research on the issues but agreed that he would get input from all the stakeholders involved before a vote came before the board.

Pless said the issue had been brewing for months and that he’d like to see a more open discussion about it happen before a vote was taken. He claimed the HRC still hadn’t provided him with some informational pieces he had requested.

Commission Chairman Kevin Ensley said he did some research on harm reduction on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and found that many of the claims people were making were not substantiated through the CDC’s reports. The CDC report, he said, stated HRC participants were five times more likely to enter treatment than others and three times as likely to report a reduction in drug injections, which lessens the spread of infections. The report also stated that syringe programs do not increase the number of discarded needles in public places and do not lead to higher rates of drug use and crime. Lastly, harm reduction measures are cost effective because they decrease health care costs in the long-term.

“I believe they are working in our community. Unfortunately, there’s a stigma out there and people want to say it’s the reason it’s happened. We’re blessed to have this program and Pathways and Ashley’s work with Kaitlynne’s House, The Share project, LEAD — they all work together. They are having success and saving lives,” Ensley said. “And if you think it’s a political problem, it’s a bipartisan issue. Needle exchange programs were allowed in 2016 under Gov. McCrory (Republican) with a superRepublican majority. Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary implemented this program to reduce infections. It’s evidence based — not my opinion and not a Democrat or liberal issue. We need to base our decisions on science and not stigma.” Harm reduction — enabling work in the community. He said he helped pick up needles on several occasions and would even go visit some of the homeless people to change their lives encampments around town to drop off essentials because it wasn’t a safe place for Dunlap to go. To the best of their knowledge, there are at least nine encampments for four months — it’s not the first time in the Waynesville area. BY JESSI STONE she’s gotten clean, but she hopes it’s the last As a harm reduction worker, those are N EWS EDITOR time. the types of things Michelle will be doing

Michelle Mathis, chairwoman and “I’ve gotten clean several times over the soon after her training in Durham. It will interim director of the North last 20 years, but I knew this time was difbe a bit surreal to be on the other side of Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, ferent,” she said. “I quit cold turkey. I knew the issues now and being the one trying to admits the organization does enable drug I could have gotten suboxone but I knew I help others, but it will also give her one users. would just shoot it up, so I went cold more reason to stay sober.

“We get the accusation of enabling peoturkey.” “It’s something I've always wanted to do ple all the time, but I embrace the moniker Mark grew up in and out of foster — to help people — and I’m at a point of being an enabler,” she said. “I enable homes and then once he was 18, he dealt where I’m clean and I can do it now,” she people to take a next positive step in their said. “I have a lot of trust from lives. I enable them to have a second, third the unhoused and addicts or 15th chance at life.” already, so I’m hoping that

Haywood County is one of the few counhelps me in this new position.” ties in the state that has Harm Reduction Mark hopes to help Michelle boots on the ground every day and has help others any way he can. implemented a number of harm reduction Already he’s been working with programs in the last eight years, but there Waynesville First United are still people in the community who Methodist Church with believe HRC is doing more harm than fundraising to help the good. unhoused population. He also

Michelle and Mark Blackmon disagree. helps cook meals for people in If it wasn’t for the couple’s relationship Frog Level and gives free hairwith Jesse-Lee Dunlap and the HRC, they cuts to those who need one. say they’d still be out on the streets doing “My past is pretty dirty, but drugs. people have always looked up to

“A couple of years ago I almost OD’d me as a leader for some reason,” and I went to the hospital. Jesse-Lee came he said. “They’ve always come and brought me information and supplies to us because they trust us. We and said I could go to rehab if I wanted it,” can talk to them and we know Michelle said. “It’s hard to trust anyone Michelle and Mark Blackmon. where the camps are. We still go new but Jesse-Lee knows how to talk to us. down there (Frog Level) and That’s the one person that helped us other check on them. We give out than Officer Banks. They got on us so much drugs and was in and out of prison for clothes, deodorant, clothes, food, blankets. we were done fighting.” many years. Selling drugs led to his own They go through a lot of those because they

Mark said he and Officer Keith Banks addiction. He’s still working on recovery get dirty or stolen.” with the Waynesville Police Department even through a recent relapse. As they are embarking on a new kind of had a “love/hate” relationship — they “But this is the first time I’ve dropped life, the Blackmons also are setting goals for didn’t really like each other but the one everything and been clean,” he said. their future since Michelle now has a fullthing they had was respect for one another, “We got together on the streets, but time job with benefits. which is why they’ve been able to communow we’re having to learn each other all “Our first goal is to get transportation nicate and work together now that Mark is over again,” Michelle said. “But being with and a bank account. Then we want to buy a working on his recovery. him made me want to get clean — I wanted piece of land — somewhere that homeless

“I wanted to get away from the people I my relationship more.” can have a place to go and set up their tents was around and it got to the point where “If someone can survive all that, you can or whatever and feel safe. But there will be Banks told me he’d buy me a ticket to survive anything,” Mark added. rules and regulations,” Mark said. leave,” Mark joked. “I give him all the Mark and Michelle are currently living “I have a lot of family I want to help praise and glory for what he’s done.” at Michelle’s mother’s home in Haywood straighten up. It’s hard to see,” Michelle

With tough love and support from law County, and Michelle has reconnected with said. “And we want to find our own place. enforcement and HRC, the Blackmons now her three children — who are 17, 19 and 24 My parents need to have some peace and have a roof over their heads, they’re both in — and her first grandchild. quiet and right now there’s eight of us in recovery, Michelle has reconnected with “I’ve been in and out of their lives for a the house. I don’t know how they do it.” her children, Mark is giving back to the long time. My mom has had them for 13 Mark said there is so much misundercommunity and Michelle just got a new job years. My youngest was 3 years old when standing in the community about subworking for the Harm Reduction Coalition mom got them,” Michelle recalled. stance use disorder and the unhoused. He in Haywood County. She’s currently in Since establishing a relationship with wishes people would take more time to talk Durham for training. HRC, Michelle was encouraged to get testto them and understand what they've been

As regulars in Frog Level, Mark and ed for infections since she has injected through in their lives. Michelle are well known to local law drugs and shared needles in the past. She “Don’t judge the homeless people by enforcement agencies and have been frefound out she has Hepatitis C and will their cover. Get to know people. Even if quently in and out of the Haywood County begin a treatment soon. they are addicts, they are people and are Detention Center. Both of them have crimi“I never realized anything about it until nice. Many of them want help and don’t nal charges pending, but they’re also trying I received the education through the Harm know how to get it,” he said. to get their lives together again once and Reduction coalition. Jesse-Lee helped me In next week’s issue, The Smoky for all. with that and now I can get treatment,” she Mountain News will go more in depth

They’ve struggled with drugs most of said. about the history of harm reduction and its their lives. Michelle said she’s been clean Mark also met Dunlap through their impact in the U.S.