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OC NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAM We are a nonprofit, volunteer -run needle exchange located in Orange County, CA grounded in harm reduction and evidence -based principles. Our core mission is to prevent HIV, hepatitis C, and other infectious diseases by safely disposing of used syringes and providing sterile injection and safer sex supplies. 714.794.5643 http://ocnep.org January 2, 2018 To the Santa Ana City Council: The Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP) is interested in working together to develop and implement collaborative solutions that reduce needle litter, continue to promote community safety, improve public health, and remain responsive to the needs of injection drug users (hereinafter "IDUs') and afford them the dignity and respect that they deserve. At this time, we approach you with a series of proposals related to OCNEP's location and the issue of needle litter, which are consistent with above -stated goals. In order to address current concerns about OCNEP's location in the Santa Ana Civic Center, OCNEP will: 1. INSTITUTE a policy which assigns 1-2 members of the OCNEP Board of Directors and/or Steering Committee each to community organizations so as to quickly and personally respond to the latter's concerns. 2. In consultation with the City Council (hereinafter "Council"), Santa Ana Police Department (hereinafter "SAPD"), Orange County Health Care Agency (hereinafter "OCHCA"), the California Department of Public Health (hereinafter "CDPH"), and community members, EXPLORE the relocation of OCNEP to another fixed physical location in Santa Ana and/or the institution of mobile exchange within the city. a. OCNEP will continue to operate in its state -sanctioned location to prevent any lapse in IDU access to safe injection equipment, safe sex supplies, referrals to social services and substance use rehabilitation, and overdose prevention education. 3. With collaboration, assistance, and support of the Council, SAPD, and OCHCA, and concurrent with necessary needs assessments carried out with input from IDUs, EXPLORE the expansion of OCNEP to additional sites in other cities within Orange County. In order to reduce the impact of needle litter in the Santa Ana community, OCNEP will: 1. CONTINUE to engage in needle sweeps of the Civic Center during operating hours (fpm-3pm) on Saturdays. 2. CONTINUE to respond to community groups that ask for assistance in discarding hypodermic syringes (hereinafter "sharps") by meeting with the groups, providing sharps disposal containers and puncture -resistant gloves, and, when requested, dispatch trained volunteers to retrieve and dispose of these sharps. 3. CONTINUE to operate on a sharps distribution policy adhering to the "n + 20" model, with a cap of 200 sharps per client per exchange, which has led to an increased ratio of sharps being discarded relative to sharps being distributed since its introduction in October 2017.