HOLYOKE — After more than two decades on the job, Tapestry Health Director of Harm Reduction Tim Purington celebrated his retirement Friday night surrounded by friends and colleagues who echoed one sentiment: We couldn’t have done it without him.
Purington dedicated his career to helping some of the community’s most vulnerable people, the victims of the opioid crisis, through harm reduction advocacy and creation of the Holyoke needle exchange.
Purington began his work with Tapestry in September 1994. He developed and implemented the first legal syringe exchange program in Western Massachusetts — in Northampton — in 1995. It remained the only needle exchange west of Cambridge for nearly two decades. The Holyoke Needle Exchange, one of Purington’s proudest accomplishments, opened on Main Street in 2012.
“There is a needle exchange in Holyoke, and it is here to stay,” Purington said, looking back on his nearly 22 years with Tapestry Health.
Purington is more of a behind the scenes guy, he says, but he was the center of attention Friday night. More than 50 people gathered at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke to celebrate Purington’s work, as well as the conclusion of a four-year legal flap that threatened the validity of the Holyoke Needle Exchange. Purington stood in the crowd with a warm smile as his colleagues reflected on the legal victory and his legacy at Tapestry.
Shortly after the needle exchange opened in July 2012, members of the Holyoke City Council filed a lawsuit against the city, Morse, the Board of Health and Tapestry. They argued that the needle exchange program needed the council’s approval. The creation of a needle exchange had been a topic of heated debate in Holyoke for more than a decade. In 2001, Holyoke residents voted on a non-binding ballot referendum 65-35 against a needle exchange program in the city.
In 2016, four years after the lawsuit was initiated, a Massachusetts Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the Holyoke City Council in March 2016. In July, the Massachusetts State Legislature amended the needle exchange law. The legislature designated local boards of health as the authorizing entity for needle exchange programs and lifted the cap on pilot programs in the state.
Liz Whynott, Tapestry needle exchange director, said the the local advocacy had a “rippling affect” across the state.
“These are basic human rights for people often overlooked and not respected,” Whynott said. “There needed to be one in Holyoke. There still needs to be one in Springfield. There needs to be one everywhere.”
Before the event began, Whynott said Purington will be irreplaceable. His position at Tapestry was not just a job for him, Whynott said. Purington was instrumental in changing the culture and perception of needle exchanges, she added.
“He brings this unique effort and perspective to the harm reduction movement,” Whynott said.
Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse shared the story of how he met Purington after high school graduation. On the first day of his internship, Morse showed up in a suit. To his surprise, Purington sent him out on a project to clean up used needles and distribute bleach kits. The next day, he said, he came dressed more appropriately.
Years later, Morse ran for office. Shortly after he was elected mayor, Purington asked him when they would get started on the needle exchange. In five years, Tapestry has seen 2,500 Holyoke residents who are drug users. Morse says the needle exchange is among his proudest accomplishments.
“It would be easy to say the things we built, the canal walk and new businesses and whatnot, but one of the things I’m most proud of, sincerely, is that we’ve been able to protect more people’s lives in the city of Holyoke via the work that Tapestry Health has done in the needle exchange program over the last five years,” Morse said.
At the conclusion of his speech, Morse issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 27, 2017 Tim Purington Day in the city of Holyoke.
Other speakers included Tapestry Health CEO Cheryl Zoll and Kevin Cranston, director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Infectious Disease. Michael Botticelli, former acting director of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, shared a video message congratulating Purington on his groundbreaking work in harm reduction.
Cranston said Purington always pushed him to push harder and accomplish what seemed impossible during his time at Tapestry Health.
“It struck me as impossible until Tim told me it was necessary, and that it was my job to do it,” Cranston said. “It’s concerted, long-fought, hard leadership that got us here. And it’s my friend who got us here.”
Purington’s retirement comes after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which impacts his vision and stability. He feels like he is spinning, he said.
Despite his physical limitations, Purington’s vision for Tapestry Health remains clear as ever.
“You know, I kind of stumbled into public health and it fit really well. I’m just so proud of the work. I have so many regrets for the stuff that I wasn’t able to get done, but I look forward to contributing as I move forward,” Purington said.
“We’ve gotta get busy,” he added.
Stephanie Murray can be reached at stephaniemur@umass.edu