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Sept. 13, 2022 – Andres Gonzalez, the syringe collection program coordinator with the city's department of health and human services, appears in the department's syringe collection public safety announcement. He has collected 50,000 syringes since 2019. COURTESY LOWELL HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Sept. 13, 2022 – Andres Gonzalez, the syringe collection program coordinator with the city's department of health and human services, appears in the department's syringe collection public safety announcement. He has collected 50,000 syringes since 2019. COURTESY LOWELL HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

A hypodermic needle lays among dead leaves at an abandoned homeless encampment in Lowell. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLEAN RIVER PROJECT

Sept. 13, 2022 – Mayor Sokhary Chau, and members of the City Council, honor Andres Gonzalez, the syringe collection program coordinator with the city's department of health and human services, with a citation of service. Gonzalez has collected 50,000 syringes since 2019. MELANIE GILBERT/THE LOWELL SUN

LOWELL – There’s no needle in a haystack when it comes to Andres Gonzalez’s job.

The metaphor describes things that are hard to see or find, but in his position as the syringe collection program coordinator for the City of Lowell, it’s Gonzalez’s job to know exactly where to find those real – not metaphorical – needles. And he’s so good at it, that in his three years on the job, he has collected 50,000 hypodermic needles from the city’s parks, playgrounds, streets and sidewalks and community disposal collection points.

Gonzalez’s achievement was recognized by the City Council during Tuesday night’s meeting. Mayor Sokhary Chau read a citation, which recognized Gonzalez’s public health efforts to make the city a safer place, calling him “a behind-the-scenes, unsung hero.”

“Through countless proactive sweeps of areas prone to improper needle disposal and responding to needle collections request across the community,” Chau read, “Mr. Gonzalez collected his 50,000th needle in September, a milestone that reflects the importance of his tireless work on behalf of the city.”

Hypodermic needles, a hollow needle commonly used with a syringe to inject substances into the body, whether for legal and illegal use, must be disposed of properly to prevent accidental exposure of drug substances to members of the public.

Extensive and regulated needle collection disposal is common with prescribed medications for immune-suppressed health-care conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or cancer and HIV. Many of those patients are set up with a collection system through the U.S. Postal Service or other carrier, via their health care provider or the drug manufacturer.

Gonzalez can handle those kinds of needle collection requests on an on as-needed basis, but his primary focus is on discarded needles from illegal drug use. These needles pose a significant public health risk to anyone who handles it due to any remnant drugs in the syringe, as well as the users’ bodily fluids on the needle itself.

It’s a fulltime job in a city that spans almost 15 square miles, which continues to battle an ongoing drug epidemic. From 2015 to 2018, Lowell had one of the highest numbers of opioid overdoses and fatalities in the state.

In October 2018, Lowell’s City Council, among other strategies such as a substance abuse coordinator, responded to the crisis by creating the fulltime syringe collection program coordinator position.

Then-Director Health and Human Services Kerran Vigroux told the council that, “Lowell has struggled with the opioid crisis and the resulting numbers of discarded syringes in our public areas. The city is in need of a more coordinated proactive rather than reactive approach.”

Gonzalez was hired in April 2019, and the city got an indefatigable first responder who loves his job, and who shares the credit for the good work the program has accomplished.

“My main driving goal to make sure people are safe,” Gonzalez told the council. “The program has become the eyes and ears of many departments. It’s something that I take personally. I wake up every day to try and find those needles.”

Councilor Rita Mercier praised Gonzalez’s work ethic, calling attention to the difference his efforts have made in South Common Park, in the city’s Back Central neighborhood.

“Andres, you did a tremendous job, and I’m so proud of you,” Mercier said. “You probably picked up 49,000 syringes just from that park. Thank you for your hard work and providing safety for our citizens.”

The 22-acre park was one of the earliest open spaces purchased by the city in 1845. The grounds are enjoyed by all Lowellians, but sections have become encampments for unhoused people, as well as gathering places for illegal drug trade and use.

That overlap of open-air drug markets with outdoor facilities that includes playgrounds and ponds, courts and ball fields that are used by families and children, gives Gonzalez’s work a sense of urgency, said Director of Health and Human Services Lisa Golden, who oversees Gonzalez’s position.

“He is passionate. He is dedicated. He loves it,” Golden said by phone on Friday. “Andres has places in the city that he goes to on a daily and weekly basis to proactively pick up syringes off the ground to make sure the areas are clean. He goes to the parks to make sure they’re ready for the kids to play their sports or games. But he doesn’t just pick up that one syringe, he does a sweep of that whole area.”

Golden, who was hired to the director position in November 2021, said that Gonzalez “is a dedicated needle man. He goes everywhere in any kind of weather to pick up needles.”

A day in the life of Gonzalez starts with a check-in at the office, before he sets out answering calls of reported syringes, and making his rounds.

He carries an extendable trash grabber, a lightweight tool with tongs that retrieves the needle, and drops it in a heavy-duty construction bucket. The needles are then dumped into a secured storage container that is incinerated.

In addition to his daily needle cleanup, Gonzalez also prioritizes outreach and education of proper needle disposal methods and needle safety. The department has produced an extensive public awareness campaign, which includes videos and flyers. Gonzalez gives talks at public schools and community meetings where he educates people – particularly children – to never pick up or disturb a hypodermic needle.

In the public service announcement video, Gonzalez tells the viewer, “If you see a discarded needle, don’t pick it up. Instead, give us a call at 978-674-1049. I’m ready to respond.“

Councilor Corey Robinson, who said he’s known Gonzalez for 25 years, says he’s always been a go-to guy. “He’s more responsive than a team of 10 guys,” he said, shaking his head and smiling.

The council unanimously passed the motion honoring Gonzalez and gave him a standing round of applause.

Gonzalez responds to needle calls Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday’s from 8 a.m. to noon. The number to call after hours, 978-937-3200.

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