To examine possible formation of new social contacts at the Baltimore Syringe Exchange Program (SEP).
Systematic sub-sample of new SEP participants recruited into evaluation cohort for biannual ...interviews. This analysis used 6-month interview data.
Participants were interviewed for behavioral and network characteristics, and number of new social contacts formed at the SEP. Variables were cross-tabulated using chi2 statistics.
Of 413 participants interviewed, 32 (8%) said they had made at least one social contact at the SEP. These 32 individuals were more likely to have engaged in commercial sex (16 versus 3%, P = 0.005) and, among active injectors, were more likely to have used syringes obtained from other drug users (22 versus 8%, P = 0.026).
Findings argue against the formation of new social networks (and therefore new disease transmission networks) in the context of syringe exchange participation.
Project Red Box, a pilot project undertaken by the Baltimore City Health Department, is designed to decrease the number of needles and syringes discarded in public locations. The qualitative ...evaluation consisted of focus groups with a total of 73 people, including injection drug users (IDUs), community residents, police officers, and local pharmacists.
To examine attitudes of participants of a van-based syringe exchange program (SEP) toward the hypothetical prospect of pharmacy-based syringe access.
One-time, cross-sectional survey.
Baltimore, ...Maryland.
206 injection drug users who participate in the Baltimore SEP.
Face-to-face interviews.
Location preferred for obtaining syringes, drug and syringe use, past experience with pharmacies, and willingness to pay.
The sample was 67% men, 95% African American, and 95% unemployed; mean age was 39.8 years. A total of 19% of respondents had bought syringes at a pharmacy during the prior six months. Some 37% reported having been turned down when asking for syringes at a pharmacy, most commonly due to lack of identification to prove diabetic status (50%). If legal restrictions were lifted, 92% of respondents would obtain syringes from pharmacies, and would be willing to pay a mean price of $0.80 (median = $1.00) per syringe. Women were more likely than men to report the intention to switch from van-based SEP to pharmacy (57% versus 38%, p = .045).
If current legal restrictions were lifted, pharmacies would be a viable syringe source appealing particularly to women, suggesting gender-specific access issues that should be addressed. The per-syringe price that study participants would be willing to pay exceeds typical retail prices, suggesting that pharmacists could charge enough per syringe to recoup operational costs.
We assessed the acceptability and the use of a community-based needle and syringe disposal project designed to serve injection drug users. In June 1996, three surplus U.S. mail collection boxes were ...painted red and used as syringe and needle drop boxes in locations with high drug use in East Baltimore. Acceptance of the drop boxes was measured by focus groups of residents, drug users, and police, held before and after project implementation. Use was measured by weekly counts of needles recovered from the red boxes. A sample of all deposited needles was randomly chosen for needle washing and subsequent HIV antibody testing. Community impact was measured by systematic surveys of needles discarded on public sidewalks, in areas with and areas without drop boxes. Before implementation, members of focus groups expressed concerns that drop boxes could convey mixed messages to youth (e.g., seeming to condone drug use), might result in increased loitering, and could further community stigmatization. After project implementation, all focus groups expressed support of project expansion. In the first 10 months, 2971 needles were collected. Of 156 needles tested, 10.9% were positive for HIV antibody. Needle counts on the street showed no significant change in red box areas compared with control areas. In this pilot project, red boxes were accepted by the community and drug users. Police officers also used the boxes to dispose of confiscated needles. Although limited in the number of drop boxes and follow-up time, this pilot project shows promise as a community-based method of safe needle disposal.
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