2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

334016
Out of the Alley: Lessons from Safe Injecting Facilities (SIF)


Monday, November 2, 2015

David Monico, BS, MPH, PMHCC & La Salle University (MPH January 2015), Feasterville, PA
     
Injecting drug use is a public health problem in need of novel intervention. Common drugs associated with injection include cocaine and heroin, two prevalent drugs related to overdose death, a rapidly building problem that is now the number one cause of unintentional death in the United States. Those who inject drugs are also at risk of infectious diseases such as HIV and HCV. Methods to reduce the harms associated with injecting drug use are not meeting the needs of injecting drug users (IDUs). Available peer-reviewed journal articles examining the implementation of safe injection facilities (SIF), use considerations, historic utilization, and benefits to the individual injecting drugs and the neighboring community. It is clear that SIF will be utilized by IDUs. These facilities will serve to reduce risk of overdose, reduce disease transmission, and provide a valuable service to the neighboring community. Further research and education are needed to gain public support for these lifesaving community interventions in the United States.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain overdose risk associated with injecting drug use. Discuss process of disease transmission related to injecting drug use. Identify the benefits safe injecting facilities have for individuals and communities. Evaluate the need for safe injecting facilities in the United States.

Keyword(s): Drug Abuse Prevention and Safety, HIV Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked in the mental health and substance use field for 10 years. During my MPH program I focused my research on harm reduction interventions for substance use. The present work identifies a controversial harm reduction intervention I would like to see implemented in the United States in the next five years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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