Mass. Officials Debunk Library Safe Injection Site Rumors

The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.

Feb. 26—City officials have vehemently debunked a social media rumor that Nevins Memorial Library will become a safe injection site for drug users.

Safe injection sites are locations where trained staff provided clean needles, manage overdoses if needed and offer long-term treatment options to drug users.

Late last week, posts appeared on social media sites, including the "Methuen Sound Off" Facebook page, discussing the possibility of the city's library becoming a safe injection site. The post had been commented on 370 times as of Monday morning.

Chief Joseph Solomon confirmed to The Eagle-Tribune that the post was inaccurate, saying it was a rumor that had erroneously grown out of a midweek Boston 25 story focusing on how libraries throughout the state are dealing with the opioid crisis. He also sent out a social media post of his own Sunday attempting to clear up the matter.

"I think it was a total misunderstanding," Solomon said, adding that safe injection sites have not been discussed in Methuen.

Mayor James Jajuga said the library has never had anyone overdose, nor have staff members found any needles within the building. Needles have been found in the parking lot, however it appeared they were from someone in the lot after-hours, Jajuga said.

While an overdose hasn't occurred at the library, Director Krista McLeod said they have had people come in under the influence, whether from drugs or alcohol. They have also found alcohol bottles in the trash.

McLeod said the library has discussed adding Narcan, the brand name of nasal naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses, to its first aid kits. Those plans were mentioned in the Boston 25 story.

"We do feel that we have to be prepared for emergencies here," McLeod said. "It isn't that this is a very serious or significant problem, but we do know that things happen and we are a public building."

Considering having Narcan at the library is part of McLeod's initiative to upgrade all of the library's life safety tools, which includes adding an automated external defibrillator (AED), updating American Red Cross training for staff and holding emergency incident training.

"People of all situations come in and somebody could have a heart attack, somebody could fall and have an injury, and somebody sadly could come in under the influence and experience an overdose," she said. "We are not encouraging that; we do in no way want this to happen. But just in the unlikely event that it does, we want to be prepared."

McLeod blamed the rumor's widespread traction on the nature of social media.

"With today's social media, things can really spin out of control very quickly, and often people don't really know what happened in the first place," she said.