NEEDLE EXCHANGE MADE POSSIBLE

If funding comes through, Merritt may soon have a new needle
distribution program.

The program would be fashioned after the Nicola Valley Street
Nursing program that used to operate out of the health unit when it
was in downtown Merritt. It will offer clean needles to IV drug
users on a weekly basis, as well as an opportunity to get valuable
information and help.

The project is the brain-child of Dan and Marilyn Tolmie, Brian
Hopkins, Hughie McKenzie and Marlene Beck. They formed the Merritt
Helping Hands Society, a group dedicated to helping people with
addictions. They first got involved following a discussion group at
the Gathering of Voices workshop in February, but for most of them
the story started long before that day.

Dan, Marilyn and Brian talk openly of a time when they were all
addicted to drugs.

"I didn't say as a kid that I wanted to be an addict," Marilyn
explains. "It's not something I am proud of, but I am proud to be a
recovering addict."

Dan adds that most people don't believe it could ever happen to them.

"Some people get lucky. They can play [with drugs] and not have a
problem," he says. "But 90 per cent of people get hooked."

All three describe a time when they would do anything just to get high.

"There was a time when we were a hinderance to the community. But
now we want to give something back," Brian says. "We may not be
giving back to the whole community but at least we can help a few."

Merritt Helping Hands Society's long-term goal is to have a halfway
house, but the first step on this long journey is to re-establish a
needle exchange in downtown Merritt. When the public health unit
moved up to the Nicola Valley Health Care Centre the
needle exchange program went with it. According the this group,
since the program moved up the hill most addicts have stopped going
in for their clean needles and much of the needle exchange work is
being done door-to-door.

"Walking up the hill when you are dope sick is not going to happen,"
Marilyn explains. She adds that there is also the humiliation that
the addict will suffer by going to the hospital to get their
needles. Instead many addicts will reuse needles, increasing the
risk of spreading HIV and Hepatitis C.

Because they believe it is essential to promote the message of a new
needle every time, Marilyn, Brian and Dan approached the Trinity
United Church for their support. Much to their surprise the
congregation supported the project without hesitation.

Rev. Juanita Austin says this project was an easy sell to the board.
She explains that she simply presented the idea to them and they
supported it whole-heartedly.

"The church is always available to other groups. This is an
extension to the ministry we offer the community," she says. "For me
this is a ministry of humanity and a small way that we can be
involved in the prevention of the spread of Hep C and HIV."

She was thrilled that the board supported the idea.

Marilyn stresses that no needles will actually be stored at the
church. Every Monday they will bring in needles, condoms and swabs
for addicts who want to take part in the program. But the group
explains this is only the tip of the iceberg. They will be offering
so much more than just a needle exchange. The key to this project
is that they will offer education and support so that when addicts
decide it is time to get clean they know where to turn. They believe
being recovering addicts it will mean more to those people looking
to get clean.

Public health nurse Iris Hodson says with more than 35,000 needles
distributed in the Merritt area in 2005, this project is essential.

She says they will only change the lives of a few people in the
community with an addiction problem.

"These are just the ones we know of," she says. "I think there is a
need in the community and it is exciting that someone is taking
ownership of it."

Hodson adds she is amazed at how far this group has gotten in a
short period of time (since February). She explains that they have
already received support from the City of Merritt, the RCMP and many
organizations around town.

Marilyn believes the majority of the community will accept this
project, but she also knows some will be blinded by the fear they
feel about something they don't fully understand. She can't put into
words how happy she was when the church accepted their offer. She
says Trinity United is the end of a long list of people who have
help them in their journey to stay clean and help others do the same.

"We want to be part of society again and, thanks to so much support,
today we are capable of doing it," Marilyn explains.