Needle Exchange Programs: A Case Study

A harm reduction strategy that has been implemented in order to reduce the number of blood borne diseases in Ireland is opening needle exchange programs. The introduction of needle exchange programs was the first Irish policy that explicitly advocated harm reduction interventions that were aimed at reducing HIV behavior without necessarily reducing illicit drug use (Cox, Cassin, Lawless & Geoghegan, 2000). The needle exchange programs are helpful to injecting drug users because they provide them with opportunities to not only exchange their contaminated needles for sterile needles, but they also provide them with opportunities to engage with a variety of healthcare services such as counseling and referral to drug treatment programs (Strathdee, Currie, Patrick et al., 1999). The interaction with healthcare workers that the injecting drug users receive at the needle exchange programs might also serve as a point of entry …show more content…
The needle exchange programs are offered from fixed sites, mobile units, and outreach work. Outreach work involves “backpacking”, a practice in which staff carries supplies of drug-taking paraphernalia and distributes it to known drug misusers around Ireland. Additional services are offered at a location called the Merchants Quay Project, as well as at other sites in Dublin and at voluntary organizations. The type of services offered vary from site to site, but some of the services that may be included are free needle exchange, alcohol wipes, sterile water, citric acid filters, spoons, condoms, and provision of methadone (Moore et al., 2004, p. 42). By offering the needle exchange service in a variety of ways it allows for more people to benefit from the