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Although a nonprofit serving
HIV-positive Long Islanders identified Freeport’s need for a needle-exchange
program (NEP), community opposition will keep the group out of the village.
The Lindenhurst-based Long Island
Minority AIDS Coalition (LIMAC) deliberated placing a van at the intersection
of North Main Street and Brooklyn Avenue for drug injectors to exchange used
needles for clean ones.
LIMAC Exchange Director Tina Wolf
maintains the coalition targeted Freeport as an area where it could “have the
most impact.” She said NEPs help halt HIV transmission by disposing of used
needles, and that LIMAC refers users to treatment programs and other services.
The New York health department’s Community Need Index lists Freeport’s ZIP code
as one of Nassau County’s most needy, considering factors including AIDS cases,
drug use, and teen pregnancy statistics.
However, residents learned of the
plan and complained to LIMAC and village officials that the van would draw
crime to the area. “Drug dealers are going to come because they’ve got their
customers and they’ve got their needles,” said resident Pat Rowen. Other
residents, like Anthony Miller, saw the benefit of the program, but agreed the
matter should have come “before the board [of trustees] first.”
Village officials insisted they had
not been sufficiently consulted about LIMAC’s planned Freeport presence, and
they questioned the coalition’s right to station a van in a high-traffic area
without a permit. Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick noted the coalition never
approached him regarding such a permit, which he considered “a blatant sign of
disrespect.”
Even though Wolf said local approval
is not always necessary to set up van programs, LIMAC Executive Director Rabia
Aziz said the coalition “will not go into any community that is not supportive
of the service, nor should we.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
