Needle exchange program in Pueblo marks one year

Every Friday afternoon, injection drug users bring a box of dirty needles to the site of a needle exchange program. They walk away with a brown bag full of clean ones.

“These are the needles,” Dr. Michael Nerenberg told KRDO NewsChannel 13 while pointing out the supplies. “These are standard insulin syringes.”

The needle exchange program, funded by the Southern Colorado AIDS Project, has collected more than 18,000 needles since it began last July.

“People are bringing needles back. So there aren’t needles in the community. We do sweeps and we found them in parks,” Nerenberg said.

He touts what he says are the program’s successes: five drug users have entered treatment. He’s also encouraged eight users to get tested for blood-borne diseases. Of the eight, five tested positive for hepatitis C and one for HIV.

“This is first and foremost a harm reduction activity — trying to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C,” Nerenberg said.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 spoke with drug users, who asked not to have their full names disclosed. They said the exchange site has become a safe place to get needles for free.

“It’s teaching people not to use and share,” said Amber, a meth user who’s been coming to the exchange for almost a month. She said it’s hard to get needles at various pharmacies because she’s been judged for purchasing them.

Kenny, a heroin and meth user, said injecting used needles has taken a toll on his skin.

“I’ve been doing it for 30 years. My veins are really hard. The hospital couldn’t even hardly hit me,” Kenny said.

It’s not just clean syringes that users can pick up. The program also offers users cookers, alcohol swabs, and condoms. Users don’t have to give their names, but they are given an exemption card. Nerenberg said the card prevents users from being prosecuted for drug paraphernalia if they’re stopped by law enforcement.

Nerenberg, a retired physician, led the effort to start the program in Pueblo after what he saw in his last few years working in the emergency room.

“I started seeing heroin overdoses. And so I was aware that there was a problem building out here,” he said.

Nerenberg knows the program has its share of critics, but he’s adamant that it isn’t perpetuating injection drug use.

“We’re not enabling anything,” Nerenberg said. “They’re already able. They know how. They’re doing it whether you like it or not.”

The program is held every Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. at Crossroads Turning Points at 509 E .13th St.

During its first day last year, Nerenberg said only one user showed up. It’s now grown to serve more than 200 clients. Those between 30 and 39 years old account for the largest age group served in the program, followed by users between 20 and 29.

“I’m seeing all age groups,” Nerenberg said. “We have them from 20 to 65.”

Upon watching Nerenberg for several hours, it’s evident he’s built relationships with several of the clients. He’s quick to point out it didn’t start that way.

“Their first visit — they are suspicious. They don’t know who we really are. They don’t know if we really mean what we say. Their lives are illegal, and they don’t feel like they can trust anybody,” he said.

Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter said six people have died from heroin use so far this year. In 2014, there were six deaths. There were seven fatalities in 2013 and four in 2012.