Bangor committee advances MOU with Wabanaki as public health officials report HIV cluster and service expansions

The Government Operations Committee on March 1 voted to forward to the full council an order authorizing an MOU with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness to provide syringe waste disposal services, as city public health staff reported a 21-case HIV cluster in the Bangor area and described expanded outreach and testing efforts.

Public health staff said the MOU would replace a prior arrangement with HEAL and run for one year. The committee heard cost questions and was told the contract price reflects higher-quality services; members were told the city will revisit terms as the partnership evolves. The committee moved the order to the next council agenda without objection.

"We were able to find that with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness," said a city public health representative introducing the MOU. "We are looking now to go into that MOU for syringe waste in our city." Jason, representing Wabanaki, attended for questions.

During a broader update, public health staff reported 21 confirmed HIV cases in the local cluster and said cases have increased significantly in the past four to five weeks. Officials described the affected population as people who inject drugs and people experiencing homelessness and credited local partners for expanding testing, treatment linkage, Ryan White services and PrEP access.

"If you look at what happened to Scott County, Indiana with their HIV outbreak some years ago, they had no syringe service providers, and they had over 180 cases," the public health speaker said. "My message is, if we didn't have a high-quality SSP, we would be in a worse situation than we are right now."

Public health updates and clarifications provided to the committee included:

- The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) lists 21 confirmed cases in the cluster; local partners expect the number to rise as testing increases. - Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness recently stepped into syringe services locally, which officials said has increased testing reach. - Public health nursing has received six referrals in the past five to six months for pregnant people experiencing homelessness; staff are providing maternal and child health services in nontraditional settings. - A school-based tobacco treatment referral pilot at Bangor High School has served six students to date. - A planning grant application to the Maine Health Access Foundation (Mihaf) has advanced from a letter of interest; 20 organizations were invited to apply and 8–10 applications will be funded if selected. The city will seek council approval to submit the application. - Maine CDC workforce and infrastructure grant funds will purchase an on-site STI testing machine that reduces results from up to five days to about 30 minutes; the award also funds an infectious disease specialist position for the clinic. - The city was told that roughly $138,000 is expected to be returned from HEAL; staff recommended using opioid settlement funds rather than ARPA to support syringe-waste services. - The public health department plans community input sessions this spring on opioid settlement spending, including an informational video and stakeholder meetings. - The Harm Reduction Health Center work group issued a final report recommending a municipal "opt in" model if communities choose to allow harm reduction health centers.

Committee members asked whether the council could send a letter supporting requests for additional state or federal resources; staff welcomed such advocacy. The committee also signaled support for letters of support for community partners applying for outside funding, noting the letters do not bind the city.

The committee did not adopt final funding decisions but sent the MOU and planned grant-authority orders to the next full council agenda for formal consideration.