*EVENT* Rally for Public Heath & Safety: Supporting Syringe Exchange for Stanislaus County!

DATE:      February 1, 2010
TIME:      Noon
WHERE:  Stanislaus County Courthouse
                Corner of 11th and I Street
                Downtown Modesto

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Come join those in our community concerned with the public health, safety, & wellness of Stanislaus County. We will rally in support of HEP C and HIV/AIDS education &prevention through SYRINGE EXCHANGE AUTHORIZATION on FEBRUARY 1st starting at NOON (speakers @ 12:45). Volunteers arrested at a Syringe Exchange Program at Mono Park in April 2009 will attend a hearing inside at 1:30 to find out if they will be allowed to use a defense of medical necessityn when they go to trial March 23. This is a crucial phase in the misdemeanor case against the public health workers. 

Meet in front of the Stanislaus County Courthouse on the corner of 11th & I in Downtown Modesto for an afternoon of solidarity against an emerging public health crisis. Come out and support common sense change for a better Stanislaus County!

• 60-90% of  injection drug users have Hepatitis C.
• Hepatitis is called the "Giant in the Closet" by Stanislaus County Health Services Agency in 2008 - it is the #2 infectious disease in the county. 
• The Central Valley is home to the highest rates of injection drug use in the nation.
• Injection drug related HIV/AIDS cases in Stanislaus County are among the highest in California.

But in 2008, Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors denied the Civil Grand Jury recommendations, ignored a laundry list of experts from both here and abroad, and voted against this widespread, valid, & absolutely necessary DISEASE PREVENTION tool.

SEPs provide valuable health and social services for pennies in comparison, saving taxpayers countless dollars. Prevention is far less expensive than any kind of treatment! And for many stigmatized individuals, families, and communities syringe exchange programs are their only bridge to education, empowerment, and hope. SEPs do not increase drug use, crime, or danger to communities, and they do not glamorize a lifestyle.

In fact, the very opposite is true.

For more information about what we do, to tell us your stories, volunteer, or for sources of information listed here, please contact us!

This is for real.

*VIDEO* "The Risks of the Job: Protecting Law Enforcement from Needle Stick Injury"

It is an important message for Off the Streets to share that NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS HELP PROTECT LAW ENFORCEMENT! It is an indisputable fact that services provided at syringe exchange programs are directly in line with supporting the safety of our officers working the streets. We want all members of our community to be safe from dangerous and sometimes deadly health risks that can be prevented.

• Read this October 2009 fact sheet from the Foundation for AIDS Research. Something notable that was omitted from this fact sheet is that many SEPs also offer personal size sharps containers for users to store their used syringes. If syringes are properly contained, not only does California law then protect someone carrying them, law enforcement is further protected from needle stick injuries.

• Click here to be connected to the video "The Risks of the Job: Protecting Law Enforcement from Needle Stick Injury," produced by Gretchen Hildebrand. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT VIDEO! PLEASE WATCH!

• Off the Streets' DVD copy of "Risks of the Job" is available for lending to the community or it can be viewed with Off the Streets volunteers, accompanied with other supplemental resources, and/or can be part of a larger training series. For more information contact us at offthestreetsproject@yahoo.com.

In this short video, "The Risks of the Job" shows:

• How law enforcement officers can avoid needle sticks in the field
• How officers can protect themselves when needle sticks occur
• How Syringe Exchange Programs are helping communities and law enforcement officers stay safer