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- Title
A Pilot Syringe Exchange Program in Washington, DC.
- Authors
Vlahov, David; Ryan, Caitlin; Solomon, Liza; Cohn, Sylvia; Holt, Maude K.; Akhter, Mohammad N.
- Abstract
The Washington, DC City Council authorized a pilot syringe exchange program to operate for only 60 days at a single drug abuse treatment facility in the District. Only adults on the waiting list for treatment were eligible (n = 467). Of the 33 who enrolled, median duration of drug injection was 18 years. Twenty-seven participants denied needle sharing. Of 209 needles distributed, 69% were returned. Low enrollment might have been due to restrictive entry criteria, inconvenient location, incorrect syringe size, and attitudes of treatment staff. For future efforts to have a public health impact, wider accessibility will be needed.
- Subjects
WASHINGTON (D.C.); DRUG abuse treatment; DRUG abuse prevention; DRUG abusers; REHABILITATION of people with drug addiction
- Publication
American Journal of Public Health, 1994, Vol 84, Issue 2, p303
- ISSN
0090-0036
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2105/AJPH.84.2.303