LISTEN: Fargo City Commissioner Michelle Turnberg on WDAY Radio’s The Jay Thomas Show
FARGO, N.D. – Fargo City Commissioner Michelle Turnberg called data on the suspended Fargo Cass Public Health’s Harm Reduction Center’s expanded Syringe Services Program, which handed out glass pipes to drug users, “pretty flimsy.”
FCPH Prevention Coordinator Robyn Litke Sall told Valley News Live earlier this week the program has seen a 98% increase in enrollment, a 47% increase in visits, a 34% increase of unique individuals served and 38% more lives saved since it began in February. Since then, the center has given out 4,952 pipes across more than 7,000 visits.
“You can take data and twist it and make it sound any way you want. It’s not that difficult,” Turnberg said after hearing WDAY Radio Host Jay Thomas read those statistics during an interview with her on Thursday November 6th.
The program began as a traditional needle exchange in 2018, but expanded after data showed more overdose deaths from smoking drugs rather than injecting them.
“I’ve been compiling my own [data] because that’s the only thing that people will listen to. We have to fight their data with other data which I will provide on Monday,” Turnberg said.
The City Commission has a meeting on Monday, November 10. The regular agenda shows there will be a discussion on safer smoking supplies and the needle disbursement program.
Turnberg plans to put forth a motion to end the needle disbursement program immediately at the meeting.
People in the program must engage with harm reduction staff to receive supplies.
“It’s not just walking in and getting a pipe it’s not like me going to Walmart picking out a pack of gum going to the self checkout and leaving they have to engage with us,” Litke Sall told VNL.
The City of Fargo told Flag Family News on Thursday the glass pipe program has been suspended because of potential concerns with interpretation of the state law.
Turnberg said she found out about the glass pipe program from a Fargo Police officer and believes city money should instead be put into treatment instead of “enabling people”.
