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Lowell council sends proposed needle-exchange ordinance back to subcommittee after public health debate
Summary
After hours of testimony from public health professionals and residents about syringes found in public spaces, the Lowell City Council voted to refer a draft ordinance restricting syringe distribution near schools and parks to a subcommittee for further work with the state Department of Public Health and the Board of Health.
The Lowell City Council on Nov. 25 moved to send a draft ordinance that would limit syringe distribution within 1,000 feet of schools and parks back to a subcommittee after extended public testimony and questions about public health impacts and implementation. Councilor Robinson made the motion to refer the ordinance for more discussion with the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Board of Health; councilors voted to refer the item and withdrew the ordinance from immediate consideration.
Joanne Keegan, a retired public health nursing advisor and former interim director of Lowell Health and Human Services, told the council that syringe service programs (SSPs) reduce communicable disease and provide wraparound services. "Syringe service programs work…
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