Pot times July 18, 2005

US Needle-Exchange Programs Declining

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1137/a04.html
Newshawk: Beth

Pubdate: Thu, 14 Jul 2005
Source: Reuters (Wire)
Copyright: 2005 Reuters Limited
Contact: London, UK
Website: http://www.reuters.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/364
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?143 (Hepatitis)

US NEEDLE-EXCHANGE PROGRAMS DECLINING

A recently released report showed a decline in needle-exchange programs in the United States and a diminution of public funding for such programs.  In 2003, Dr.  C.A.  McKnight of New York's Beth Israel Medical Center and colleagues conducted surveys of 148 needle-exchange programs known to the North American Syringe Exchange Network.

"In 2002, for the first time in 8 years, the number of exchange programs, the number of localities with exchange programs, and the amount of public funding for exchange programs in the United States decreased," the authors noted in the July 15 issue of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The number of needle-exchange programs declined from 154 in 2000 to 148 in 2002, the researchers found, primarily through loss of small programs.  The number of states and territories with exchange programs fell from 35 to 32; public funding decreased 18 percent.  At the same time, the number of syringes exchanged increased 20.2 percent and total budgets grew 7.4 percent.

In addition to providing injection drug users ( IDUs ) with sterile syringes and safely disposing of used syringes, exchange programs offer social services such as condom provision, substance-abuse treatment referral, and HIV, and hepatitis testing.  Such programs, "provide health and social services to IDUs who might not otherwise be reached," the authors concluded.  "Continued monitoring of exchange programs in the United States is necessary to evaluate the long-term effects of this public health intervention."

The full report, "Update: Syringe Exchange Programs - United States, 2002," was published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ( 2005;54( 27 ):673-676 ).