Funded by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

"Needle Exchange Programs: Getting Out the Facts and Promoting Collaboration Between Law Enforcement and Public Health" goals:

• Opening the lines of communication about needle exchange programs between public health and law enforcement officials;

• Introducing the police officials to the public health research and literature about needle exchange programs;

• Providing forums for police and public health officials to debate the issues about how best to address the spread of blood borne pathogens in their communities; and

• Finding common strategies to reduce an all too common epidemic.

Just the Facts:

Nearly two-thirds of all AIDS cases are caused by injection drug use, or sex with partners who inject drugs. And, of all the children born with HIV, more than half these infections are from injection drug use. In the United States, alone, over a million people inject drugs. The cost in health care, lost productivity, accidents and crime? More than $50 billion a year. The human toll is incalculable.

Additional common ground is the belief that strategies such as early intervention, outreach to addicts to get them into treatment; and access to risk reduction information can help in this effort to reduce new HIV infections.

Balance between "feeding an addiction" and preventing the spread of a fatal disease seems to be at the very core of the struggle with NEP's. In addition, turning a blind eye to the various needle exchange laws, pharmacy regulations that restrict access to syringes, and current drug paraphernalia laws pose a dilemma for criminal justice professionals.

This project seeks to build bridges between criminal justice and public health, to work together for meaningful HIV reduction strategies.

Common Means

This project offers criminal justice and public health professionals a multi-media, multi-approach look at NEPs and their place in the fight against AIDS through:

• A Website with current information and links

• Easy-to-read, user friendly booklets on NEPs and their impact on public health and criminal justice

• Workshops held in conjunction with conferences of professional organizations