Needle Exchange

I didn’t know too much about the needle exchange program before Kerri came to speak with us. I wondered how people got needles that were clean and safe to use but never had heard of a needle exchange program near my hometown. I had researched it briefly before she came to speak to us, and I thought that it was a great program especially because it helps prevent the spread of diseases. However, I did have my reservations because I thought that it would be promoting behaviors that aren’t ideal because maybe people who weren’t doing specific drugs due to sanitary concerns would possibly do them now that they have a clean way of doing it. The presentation and discussion with Kerri did change my reservation about more people possibly using due to having a clean way to do so. Kerri’s presentation made me realize that there are probably more people who benefit from the needle exchange program than people who start using due to the accessibility to the program. The program appears to help many people obtain clean needles and helps prevent needles from being on the streets and causing the spread of diseases which is important.

The needle exchange program allows people to access clean needles and allows them to bring back old needles which helps keep them off the streets. The program’s purpose is to help this population access clean needles and dispose of dirty needles to a safe place which helps prevent the spread of disease and can ultimately save lives in the long run. If needle exchange programs didn’t exist, then many people in this population would just use any needle they can get and risk the chance of getting a disease and then possibly spreading it to others. Kerri had mentioned that some people are not close by to the needle exchange so they can have a three-month supply at a time and bring back their three-month supply when they come in. This makes it more convenient for people who travel a long distance to this needle exchange to not have to find transportation often or if they drive themselves, they don’t have to drive the long distance as often. I think that a good strategy to improve the health of this population would be to add more of them in areas especially in areas that have a high population of people who would benefit from the program. The closer and more accessible it is for people to get these resources the more people who will use it and then the health of these individuals should improve if they are no longer using any needle they can find or using dirty needles. What I learned from this presentation is that you sometimes have to put your personal opinion aside and help patients in any way you can. You don’t have to agree with what a patient has decided to do but you have to help them improve their health in any way you can. Learning about the needle exchange program helped me recognize the needs of different populations and how we can provide them with resources that will ultimately improve their health if they use them.