Answer Addiction

Tag: needle exchanges

  • US Health Chief Announces Support For Needle Exchange Programs

    US Health Chief Announces Support For Needle Exchange Programs

    The Health Secretary’s reversal on needle exchange programs may be related to a new 2030 deadline related to HIV.

    Speaking at the National HIV Prevention Conference on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar expressed support for needle exchange programs as a way to stop the spread of HIV.

    Republicans like Azar have largely resisted these programs, believing that they will encourage drug use—but evidence to the contrary appears to have convinced the HHS Secretary otherwise.

    “Syringe services programs aren’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when you think about a Republican health secretary, but we’re in a battle between sickness and health, between life and death,” Azar said during his speech according to The Hill. “The public health evidence for targeted interventions here is strong, and supporting communities when they need to use these tools means fewer infections and healthier lives for our fellow Americans.”

    Needle exchange programs have existed for years, but are as important as ever with the national opioid crisis. These programs have reduced the spread of dangerous viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C through intravenous drug use. The first such program in the U.S. was established in 1988 in Tacoma, Washington, and was rewarded with a 60% reduction in new hepatitis B and C cases.

    Studies over the decades have also consistently found that these services do not increase the number of intravenous drug users. At the same time, needle exchange programs cost significantly less than treating new cases of HIV and hepatitis.

    However, the larger Trump administration still opposes these programs as well as safe injection sites where individuals can use drugs without fear of arrest, and in the presence of medical professionals who both provide clean equipment and are ready to save lives in case of an overdose.

    In February, the Department of Justice sued Safehouse, a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia, to prevent them from opening the country’s first safe injection site.

    Azar’s reversal on needle exchange programs may be related to a new 2030 deadline related to HIV. Earlier this month, the Trump administration revealed its 2020 budget proposal, which included a request for $291 million for an ambitious plan to end the “HIV epidemic” in a decade.

    “For the first time in modern history, America has the ability to end the epidemic, with the availability of biomedical interventions such as antiretroviral therapy and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP),” the budget plan reads.

    With Azar’s statements at the National HIV Prevention Conference, it appears that needle exchange programs could become a part of these efforts. Most of the $291 million requested will be given to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which supports and helps to fund these services.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Seattle Not Intimidated By Threats Against Supervised Injection Facilities

    Seattle Not Intimidated By Threats Against Supervised Injection Facilities

    “We took note of what the DOJ wrote about this, but we believe strongly in a public health approach to substance abuse disorder,” Mayor Durkan said. 

    The city of Seattle will move forward with plans to open a supervised injection facility (SIF), despite the possibility that the federal government will intervene, KUOW reports.

    Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan affirmed on Sept. 20 that the city will proceed despite the Department of Justice’s promise to respond with “swift and aggressive action.”

    In a New York Times op-ed published in August, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made clear the federal government’s opposition to SIFs, declaring that they will “only make the opioid crisis worse.”

    “Because federal law clearly prohibits injection sites, cities and counties should expect the Department of Justice to meet the opening of any injection site with swift and aggressive action,” wrote Rosenstein.

    But city officials and proponents say Seattle and greater King County need “an aggressive, comprehensive approach” to the drug crisis as drug-related deaths rise. According to a recent report by Seattle & King County Public Health, drug and alcohol-related deaths have increased for six consecutive years in King County.

    “We took note of what the Department of Justice wrote about this, we’re cognizant of it, but we believe strongly in a public health approach to substance abuse disorder,” said Mayor Durkan.

    Last Monday, Durkan released a proposed budget that would set aside $1.3 million to fund the SIF pilot program. “You’ll see in the budget that we will continue to work for safe injection sites,” said the mayor. “We want this to be part of a holistic system of treatment.” The final vote on whether to adopt the budget is set for mid-November, following budget proposal hearings in October.

    Last we heard, the plan was to establish two supervised injection facilities—one in Seattle and one elsewhere in King County. The idea came from a list of recommendations on how to best address the region’s drug problem presented by the county’s Heroin and Prescription Opiate Addiction Task Force in 2016.

    KUOW reports that Seattle officials are seeking a location “likely downtown or in Belltown” for the SIF, in addition to a mobile unit that will serve the same purpose. However, Durkan said they are still working on the “framework” with the county before they can set a location. 

    While opponents say the sites will do more harm than good, proponents say that they save lives and increase the probability of connecting people with treatment.

    “Treatment is really the main bottom line that we’re trying to promote as the most effective, you know, population-wide intervention,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for King County. “We want people getting in long-term treatment. And this is just one doorway that we can use to get people into treatment.”

    View the original article at thefix.com