4/16/2015 HUMAN SERVICES Minutes

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There is a drop-in Center located in Hyannis. There are sixty admitted Sex Workers (pimps, prostitutes) on the Cape. The Provincetown office offers needle exchanges but the Hyannis office does not. The Department of Public Health is having conversations regarding new locations for treatment centers for help on the Cape. Although there is a 15% increase in HIV testing among the older population, the majority of the population is in the 20 to 30 year range. Ms. Mello stated that the concern is now not only with OD's; there is increasing concern about Hep -C and Aids. Fentanyl is a drug formulated and cleaned up in labs and is being shipped from Mexico and Canada and is now being used which is 40 to 50 times more potent than heroin, and 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine. People are cutting it to make the heroin stronger, but we are also seeing more straight Fentanyl cases. The drug is highly addictive, more so than heroin. There are less withdrawal symptoms from Fentanyl, and it ends up being cheaper than heroin because its effects last much longer. Ms. Mello stated that there are three methadone labs on the Cape: Falmouth, Hyannis, and Mashpee. New drugs on the scene include Molly, Flakka, bath salts, crystal methadone. Ms. Mello stated that there is a 6 to 9 month period required for a detox period. Harm Reduction needs to be increased; the majority of money is being spent on courts, police officers, incarceration and less than 11% on harm reduction. More time needs to be spent on conversations with active drug users that they are not having with anyone else. Donna Mello is anxious to reach out to the Wampanoag community because she is very concerned that this population may have a serious drug problem. Ms. Mello is hoping that the Human Services Committee can assist her in finding ways to reach out to the tribe. Ms. Mello concluded her remarks by stating that the way to help drug users as well as individuals having sex with multiple people is not by telling them that they need to stop .using drugs and having sex with multiple people, because they will continue to do what they are doing. Harm Reduction approaches these people by encouraging them to be honest about their habits and asking about how they need help and offering assistance to them. This is what Donna Mello's approach is all about. • Comments on FY 2016 Budget Janice Walford reported that she had contacted David DelPonte to discuss his "no" vote to approve the Human Services budget proposed by Town Manager Joyce Mason, David DelPonte explained to Ms.Walford that in no way did he feel that the budget amount was too high. In fact, he was expressing his feeling that the proposed Human Services Department budget was woefully inadequate to meet the growing needs for expansion of their efforts in the community. Janice Walford suggested that increased support for the Aids Support Group of Cape Cod might be a good place to start. John Cahalane commented that the newly appointed Town Manager will be an important factor in determining the success of the Human Services committee to substantially increase their contract amounts for the coming fiscal year. • Food Drive at Town Meeting: May 4, 2015 Janice Walford stated that a food drive would be conducted at the Town Meeting on Monday, May 4, 2015. It was anticipated that Veronica Warden would again assist in the collection and distribution of the donated goods. • Update on the Mature Workers Program Gail Wilson reported that the Mature Workers program has someone in mind that could begin working with Human Services in June 2015. Ms. Wilson explained that she is currently in the process of training three Property Tax Work -off seniors who are assisting her, and does not have the ability to take on training an additional worker in .lune. The Property Tax Work -off seniors will be working with Human Services through September of 2015. Lynne Waterman recommended that before turning down the opportunity to take on the offer of the Mature Worker, who could be placed 2