June 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 38

OPIOID OUTBREAK

According to Dr. David Rolfe, professor of recreation management at Central
Washington University, it takes a drug prevention policy that is comprehensive and
involves the entire community in order to
be successful in making a change. " A wide
coalition, which includes education, law
enforcement, parks and recreation and
other constituents, can impact effective
change, but they have to care enough and
be consistent to carry through, " he says.
" It's key that everyone is on board and upholding the coalition's mission.
" In our experience, the participation
of public parks is an integral part of a
task-force coalition, as we know they
have become the preferred destination
for addicts to use and deal, " says Rolfe.
He also adds that effective design strategies that increase visibility within parks
- such as the use of passive lighting in
secluded areas where people tend to use
or deal drugs - can be helpful in promoting parks as safe community destinations, as well as discourage park users
from engaging in illicit behavior.
Gabriella Korosi, a transitional care
and outreach registered nurse with CareOregon, a nonprofit organization committed to improving and protecting the
health of low-income and vulnerable Oregonians, believes understanding the mind-

Parks & Recreation

set of those who suffer from addiction is
crucial in addressing prevention. Korosi
agrees that parks and public recreation facilities can be an easy place to hide and offer comfort to opioid users seeking refuge,
and that an alliance of community agencies is the most important asset when it
comes to finding a solution. CareOregon
is partnering with the medical community, law enforcement and local park agencies to provide prevention education and
treatment for those in need. The focus of
this coalition is training staff members on
the safe disposal of needles, first-responder training and wellness rehabilitation.
When it comes to the disposal of needles, many parks have taken a proactive approach with a published protocol to ensure
staff and visitor safety, as the use of public
bathrooms for opioid use has skyrocketed.
Billie Schmidt, superintendent of park
operations for Kitsap County in Port Orchard, Washington, concurs. " Needles are
on the rise at all of our locations. Each of
our vehicles has a bag with items in it to use
for sharps removal, including thick gloves
with 5/10 needle stick resistance, " Schmidt
says. " We have sharps containers in each
of our 21 restrooms in our fairgrounds location, and these containers are made to be
tamper-resistant so as not to be a danger to
curious children. "

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Schmidt explains that all maintenance
staff is instructed never to tamp down garbage, and also to carry garbage bags away
from their bodies. The Kitsap County fairgrounds are also a hub for other county
workers to bring their full sharps containers for disposal. " Once the bin is filled, it's
sent to the appropriate location for disposal. Our risk management department
worked with our parks department and
public works department to create this
system, " Schmidt adds.
Cleveland Metroparks in Ohio is also
taking similar measures when it comes
to finding paraphernalia in their parks, as
well as working with law enforcement.
Employees of the parks are advised to not
handle trash with their bare hands, and if
needles are discovered, they are to notify
their supervisor, as well as law enforcement rangers if there is suspected drug
abuse going on within a park. " In that case,
it becomes evidence and the rangers handle it, " says Nancy Desmond, director of
special projects for Cleveland Metroparks.
For Jared Bunde, a registered nurse with
the Department of Health's Homeless
Outreach Team in San Francisco, the park
system is ground zero for much of the drug
activity in the community. With Golden
Gate Park spanning over one-and-a-half
miles, Bunde believes it is a key area for
opportunities to spearhead prevention and
offer rehabilitation services to addicts.
" We team up with park rangers to provide social and medical services based on
what they have identified for resource connections, " says Bunde. " Outreach workers
and the medical team are trained to distribute Naloxone and ensure people living on
the streets have access. A lot of the needle
disposal happens through exchange programs and the city of San Francisco in tandem with the parks system. The grounds
maintenance team is really on the forefront
of identifying and managing through needle collection and cleanup safety. "
A key element of success for Bunde's
initiative is working hand in hand with
parks to assist opioid abusers in finding

June 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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