Maine CDC suspends Bangor health center’s syringe distribution license

A Bangor nonprofit temporarily lost its license to distribute syringes and furloughed most of its employees.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention suspended the Bangor Health Equity Alliance's license to be a syringe service provider on Tuesday, according to Olivia Demosthenes, a policy and engagement associate for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

The nonprofit's license was suspended on the same day the organization shared on Facebook that its syringe service program was paused temporarily due to "unexpected circumstances." Josh D'Alessio, executive director of the Health Equity Alliance, declined to comment on the cause of the program's cessation on Wednesday.

The suspension took effect after the Bangor Health Equity Alliance informed the Maine CDC that it is "undergoing a restructuring," Demosthenes said. The suspension will last until Dec. 16, when the Maine CDC will consider reissuing the organization's license.

As one of Penobscot County's three syringe service providers, the Health Equity Alliance distributes sterile supplies, such as syringes, to people who inject drugs. The goal is to prevent people from reusing or sharing supplies, which can spread infections, blood borne diseases and cause painful wounds.

While the county's two other syringe service providers remain active, the closure came amid an ongoing spike in new HIV cases in Penobscot County. All 14 of the people who were diagnosed with HIV in the last year were co-infected with hepatitis C and reported injecting drugs within the last year, according to the Maine CDC.

The Maine CDC added the 14th HIV case on its webpage dedicated to the cluster of cases in Penobscot County on Thursday. The county's case total was 13 since mid-August.

On Oct. 31, the organization placed most of its employees on a temporary furlough without pay to "allow HEAL to restructure and update and refine its policies, procedures, training and onboarding," according to an employee's furlough notice obtained by the Bangor Daily News.

The organization aims to return to normal operations in mid-December, the furlough notice states.

On Wednesday, the nonprofit closed its Health Equity Alliance Resource and Testing Center "for a few days for restructuring," according to a Facebook post.

D'Alessio declined to explain what "restructuring" means on Thursday, but said it's taking place to "better organize our service lines to meet the needs of the communities we serve."

The center on Hancock Street provides people who are homeless or have substance use disorders a space to socialize and easily access the organization's other resources, such as HIV and hepatitis C testing.

People in need of sterile syringes can receive them from Bangor-based Needle Point Sanctuary and Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, Penobscot County's two other syringe service programs.