Sifting the Haystack

Texas legislature adjourns without hearing syringe exchange bill

2011-06-01T13:00:00.012-05:00

The 82nd Texas legislative session adjourned on Monday without hearing HB 117, which would have allowed local options for setting up disease prevention programs including syringe exchange. It would appear that conservative politics and a one member hold up prevented the bill from receiving a hearing in the House Committee on Public Health, despite pleas for a hearing from concerned individuals, officials, and community and medical organizations across Texas including county judges and sheriffs, Texas Hospital Association, Texas Infectious Diseases Society, Mothers Against Teen Violence, Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Texas Medical Association, and many others.

The legislature will not meet again for a regular session until January 2013. While similar legislation made history last session, we've lost some ground this session; making it even more important to continue to build coalitions, maintain support, and keep stakeholders engaged during the interim.

As this blog stated in 2009:

"So what now?

Over the summer House Speaker Joe Straus will be considering the issues he will direct House Committees to study during the interim. In order for House members and the public to have an even better understanding of the need for allowing syringe exchange programs to operate throughout Texas, it would be wonderful to see Speaker Straus direct the Public Health Committee to investigate the issue further and to provide a space for regional feedback on the issue from the public.

The committee could review the effectiveness of current efforts in Texas to curb the spread of HIV and hepatitis B & C among Texas' injection drug using population, and provide recommendations for how these efforts could be improved in order to save lives and reduce indigent health care costs to the state. Committee members might even be directed to travel to a state such as Maryland to visit longstanding successful syringe exchange programs where they can witness firsthand the measurable benefits of allowing such programs."

Remind your legislators why this issue is an important, compassionate, cost-saving and lifesaving measure during the remainder of their term in office, and especially during election season in 2012. Let them know that you, the constituent, are concerned about skyrocketing rates of HIV and hepatitis C in Texas. Let them know that you support measures to not only reduce disease, but reach out to individuals and families struggling with addiction; in order to build a network of support on a foundation of compassion and non-judgement.

Boulder County, Colorado needle exchange becomes legal after 22 years

2011-05-11T12:23:00.003-05:00

After 22 years in operation, a needle exchange program in Boulder County, Colorado is now considered legal. The program has been approved by the Boulder County Board of Health. To read more about Boulder County Public Health syringe exchange becoming legal click here and here.

Attempt to amend HB 2229 to include needle exchange provision fails

2011-05-04T12:13:00.004-05:00

Failing Public Health Committee Chair Kolkhorst's willingness to give House Bill 117 a hearing this session, bill author Rules and Resolutions (Procedural) Chair McClendon attempted to pass an amendment to an HIV-related bill that would have allowed needle exchange.

As reported by the Dallas Voice:

"HB 2229 seemed poised to pass until an amendment to the bill by Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio, added a needle exchange program, a proven way to reduce the transmission of HIV and other blood-born diseases. Many House Republicans oppose such programs arguing that, by providing clean needles to IV drug users, they condone drug use. The House voted on HB 2229 and it failed to pass, 53-89. Fearing the demise of the bill, McClendon asked for an opportunity to withdraw her amendment. After she did the House tentatively approved HB 2229, 104-36. The final vote for House approval on Wednesday was 88-57."

With the session running out of time an amendment to a related bill is the only hope at this point for passing legislation that allows syringe exchange programs in Texas. Despite the success of needle exchange legislation in the Texas Senate and in the Public Health Committee during the 2009 session, the support of every major medical association in the United States and Texas, and over 50 letters from individuals and medical associations asking Chair Kolkhorst to schedule a hearing for House Bill 117 she has adamantly refused without offering a rational excuse as to why.

Representative Hernandez Luna signs on to HB 117

2011-04-20T12:26:00.003-05:00

With only a few weeks left hoping HB 117 will get a hearing the bill has picked up another Coauthor. Vice Chair Hernandez Luna (D-Houston) has signed on. Thank you Rep. Hernandez Luna!

Successful needle exchange program in Albany, NY run by local Catholic Charities

2011-04-18T13:03:00.011-05:00

The first year operation of a needle exchange program in Albany, New York has met with great success. The local program, Project Safe Point, is an AIDS services project of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. In an article in The Albany Times Union, profiling the success of the program, Angela Keller, executive director of Catholic Charities' AIDS Services reports:

"This is a health problem that's not going to go away and we've learned in our first year that it's a greatly needed service."

"We help people who are ready to take the steps of not using drugs anymore," Keller said. "They come to us when they've decided they're tired of living that way and want to get help."

Project Safe Point collected over 8,500 used syringes and referred 13% of its clients to drug treatment in its first year of operation.

Kudos Project Safe Point!

Read more here: Program shows a need for needle exchanges

Syringe Exchange: Responsible, Prudent, Compassionate

2011-04-11T10:45:00.006-05:00

Check out Bill Martin's article, "Syringe Exchange: Responsible, Prudent, Compassionate," in the April 2011 issue of Recovery Today online.

Excerpts from the article:

"Recognizing that HIV and hepatitis were both spreading at alarming rates among injecting drug users (IDUs), public health officials in both the Netherlands and Australia began experimenting in the mid- 1980s with programs to supply addicts with clean needles in exchange for their used ones. The immediate and obvious success of these programs in reducing the incidence of both diseases—the rates quickly dropped as much as one third— led authorities in Canada and numerous European, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American countries to follow suit. In some locales, sterile syringes can be exchanged at pharmacies, police stations, and even from specially designed vending machines. At St. Vincent's Hospital, in Sydney, nuns operate the exchange. Even the hyper-conservative mullahs in Iran have approved of syringe exchange as an acceptable way to fight an HIV/AIDS epidemic spread mainly by drug users."

"Even more striking, at the November 2010 Harm Reduction Conference in Austin, Texas, Dr. Don Des Jarlais, Professor of Epidemiology at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, reported that the incidence of new HIV infections among IDUs in in New York City has dropped to under one percent per year. "We appear," he said, "to be very close to eliminating injecting-related transmissions in a city with over 100,000 injecting drug users."

"No one seriously any longer seriously disputes the health and financial benefits of SEPs. In 2009, Congress finally removed its long-standing ban on using federal funds to support such programs. State laws vary, but 36 states have syringe- exchange programs and 13 others make other provisions for IDUs to obtain sterile needles. Only Texas still flatly prohibits the purchase or possession of syringes for the purpose of injecting illegal drugs, and that prohibition may not survive the state's 2011 session of its legislature."

Read full article here.

Letters of support continue to pour in while HB 117 awaits hearing

2011-04-07T13:57:00.013-05:00

Letters from individuals who support House Bill 117, including a mother, several concerned Republicans and Christians, a family member who lost a loved one to HIV/AIDS, and an United States Army Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom continue to urge Public Health Chair Kolkhorst to give this bill a hearing if legislators are serious about saving money and saving lives. Their letters reiterate that House Bill 117 would save lives without encouraging drug use, would save the individual taxpayer the expense of treating further disease by halting its spread, would protect the community by decreasing the risk of children and adults finding improperly discarded drug paraphernalia in parks and public spaces as they do currently, and promotes an evidence-based disease prevention model. One Republican and Christian supporter states:

"I have seen the costs of inflicted on taxpayers from the spread of diseases which can be prevented through these programs. State funds are so critical and changes must be made for Texas to remain a strong state. This bill requires none of those decreasing funds."

A mother writes:

"I don't wish for my son to carry the burden of the cost to treat individuals infected by carrying a needle carrying an explosive disease that can then be spread to other users and non-users when a simple and effective program such as syringe exchange could be operating in our state. These programs are designed to protect law enforcement, medical professionals and the common man."

A letter from The CHOW Project (click on photo at right to join The CHOW Project on facebook) in Hawai'i, a statewide syringe exchange program in existence for over twenty years, asks Texas to join them in "helping stop the spread of blood-borne pathogens and making our communities safer for everyone." Research has shown that, for every year that it has been in operation, the Hawai'i program is not only cost-effective but has decreased the transmission of infectious disease, lowered the chance of needle stick injuries in public spaces by ensuring proper disposal of contaminated syringes, and connected drug users with treatment and other services. Texas could realize these same benefits by passing HB 117 and allowing syringe exchange to operate in jurisdictions that opt to authorize programs, and all without requiring the use of state funds.

Write to Chair Kolkhorst urging her to schedule a Public Health Committee hearing for House Bill 117! Write to your Texas House Representative urging them to help save lives, reduce disease and drug use, and save taxpayer money by supporting syringe exchange as disease prevention.

Texas Hospital Association hand-delivers letter of support

2011-03-31T13:39:00.013-05:00

Texas Hospital Association (THA) has hand-delivered a letter in support of HB 117 to the bill's author, Chair McClendon, and to Public Health Chair Kolkhorst's office as of this morning. THA represents more than 450 hospitals and hospital systems in Texas and is a well-respected and oft sought leader in hospital-related education, advocacy, and issues.

THA's letter states:

"Allowing local jurisdictions in Texas the option to allow syringe exchange programs will prevent new HIV, HBV and HCV infections, improve public health, and save lives without requiring the use of state funds. As hospitals and the health care system implement more cost-saving initiatives and preventive medicine, it is imperative that the state embraces programs that are proven to achieve these goals."

"Based on numerous, extensive research studies, the science is clear: syringe exchange programs are highly cost-effective, lifesaving and do not promote drug use."

THA has consistently support similar legislation in previous sessions. Thank you THA!

Association of Nurses in AIDS Care urges passage of HB 117

2011-03-29T14:54:00.011-05:00

In a letter to Public Health Chair Kolkhorst the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) writes, on behalf of its 84 members who reside in Texas, in support of HB 117 and its passage.

ANAC reminds Chair Kolkhorst that House Bill 117 would not require state funds, while reducing the risk of further HIV infection and associated costs. ANAC reminds Chair Kolkhorst:

"HIV/AIDS rates in Texas remain high, and Texas has the fourth highest rate of HIV/AIDS of any state. Needle exchange programs as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package will save lives. Needle exchange programs are one of the most scientifically-based methods for reducing HIV."

Click on letter image below to read the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care's statement in support of HB 117.

Representative Donna Howard signs on to HB 117

2011-03-28T14:27:00.002-05:00

House Bill 117 picks up another Coauthor this morning, House Administration (Procedural) Vice Chair Donna Howard. Representative Howard has worked as a critical-care nurse, a Health Education instructor at the University of Texas, and has been president of the Texas Nurses Association (which supports access to sterile syringes as effective disease prevention). Thank you Representative Howard!

Texas Infectious Diseases Society urges legislators to pass HB 117 without delay

2011-03-22T15:53:00.014-05:00

In a letter to Representatives McClendon (House Bill 117 Author) and Kolkhorst (Public Health Committee Chair) the President of the Texas Infectious Diseases Society writes on behalf of over 270 infectious disease physicians and scientists in support of HB 117, which would allow local entities to operate voluntary needle exchange programs. Dr. Septimus urges legislators to 'move this important legislation forward and enact it this session without delay.'

An excerpt from the letter (see full letter below):

" Based on numerous studies and extensive research evidence, the science is clear: needle exchange programs are highly cost-effective, lifesaving, and do not promote drug use. In addition to the reduced risks for disease, sterile syringe access programs facilitate greater access to drug treatment by providing a crucial entry point into medical care, detox and rehabilitation, and mental health treatment. Nearly 200 syringe exchange programs successfully operate in 38 states, Puerto Rico, Washington DC, and Indian Lands. Allowing local jurisdictions in Texas the option to support these programs will prevent new HIV, HBV and HCV infections, improve public health and save lives."

The letter also reminds legislators that Texas is currently wasting taxpayer dollars treating blood borne infections that it could be preventing through the simple measure of access to sterile syringes.

When legislators and fellow Texans are ready to listen to science and reason, and support effective disease prevention programs, savings will follow.

Representative Elliott Naishtat signs on to HB 117 as Joint Author

2011-03-17T16:29:00.004-05:00

Public Health Vice Chair Elliott Naishtat has signed on to House Bill 117. Thank you Representative Naishtat!

Organizational support for allowing syringe exchange in Texas continues to grow

2011-03-17T14:57:00.040-05:00

AIDS Arms, Coastal Bend AIDS Foundation, and Mothers Against Teen Violence join an impressive list of Texas organizations supporting syringe access:

AIDS ARMS
AIDS SERVICES OF AUSTIN, INC.
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF TEXAS
BEXAR AREA HARM REDUCTION COALITION
BEXAR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT
CLEAT
COALITION FOR NURSES IN ADVANCED PRACTICE
COASTAL BEND AIDS FOUNDATION
COUNTY JUDGES & COMMISSIONERS ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS
CHRISTUS SANTA ROSA HEALTH CARE
HARRIS COUNTY HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE
HEPATITIS C ADVOCATE NETWORK
HOUSTON AREA IMMUNIZATION PARTNERSHIP
LATINO HIV TASK FORCE
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF TEXAS
LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES
LIVER HEALTH TODAY, HOUSTON
MOTHERS AGAINST TEEN VIOLENCE
PARKLAND HOSPITAL
SAINT MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SAN ANTONIO
SAN ANTONIO AIDS FOUNDATION
SCOTT & WHITE CENTER FOR HEALTHCARE POLICY
SOUTH TEXAS SUBSTANCE ABUSE RECOVERY SERVICES
TEXAS ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
TEXAS ACADEMY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
TEXAS ADVOCACY PROJECT
TEXAS HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
TEXAS IMPACT
TEXAS MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
TEXAS NURSES ASSOCIATION
TEXAS PEDIATRIC SOCIETY
TRINITY COUNTY

In a letter of support for House Bill 117 (see below), Joy Strickland, CEO Of Mothers Against Teen Violence, states "SEPs are in line with a public health approach to drug addiction, which is a medical/mental health problem. All Texans stand to benefit from fewer blood borne disease infections and from the safe disposal of used syringes.

Bill Hoelscher, Executive Director of Coastal Bend AIDS Foundation, states in a letter (see below) to HB 117 author Rep. McClendon (D-San Antonio), "Some may have concern that allowing needle exchange programs in Texas will be a nod of approval, that substance use is acceptable. Reality is that no has an answer to stop the wide spread use of drugs in Texas, but there is the potential to stop the spread of a disease that is costing us millions of dollars each year."

Several Texas County Judges and Sheriffs have written letters to their State Representatives supporting House Bill 117 and the potential for syringe exchange programs to avert new cases of HIV and reduce drug use in their localities.

U.S. Surgeon General supports needle exchange

2011-03-16T11:11:00.013-05:00

Until 2009, federal law banned spending federal funds to support syringe access. This ban inhibited medical providers from operating syringe access programs in order to address the dual problems of infectious disease and addiction.

In 2009 Congress voted to remove the ban on funding syringe access, allowing states, local governments and non-profits to offer cost effective disease prevention that is in the best interest of their communities.

Last month, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a statement affirming the public health value of syringe services programs (SSPs). The notice reiterates that syringe exchange services are an effective way of reducing HIV, while also encouraging people to enter drug treatment. The Surgeon General's notice cites a study that found that participants of a syringe exchange program were five times more likely to enter drug treatment than people using injection drugs who did not have access to or visit a syringe exchange program (Hagan et al. 2000 ).

To view the notice, issued by the Health and Human Services Department on February 23, 2011, click here. The notice was issued in the Federal Register Vol. 76, No. 36 page 10038. Please visit SAMHSA's (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) "Bibliographic Support for the Syringe Services Program" for a list of studies supporting the efficacy of syringe exchange.

Senator Deuell poised to sponsor HB 117

2011-03-11T14:47:00.021-06:00

In a letter distributed to every member of the Texas House of Representatives, along with a copy of "The Conservative Case for Needle Exchange," Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) reaffirms his support for passing syringe exchange legislation. Doctor Deuell's commitment to disease prevention outreach programs has remained strong and steady, as a physician, as a conservative, and especially as a Christian. Senator Deuell has stood by his conviction that every life is worth saving, and that every individual deserves compassion.

Senator Deuell's initial feelings of trepidation toward the subject of syringe exchange were quickly dispelled when presented with the scientific facts and figures in support of these lifesaving interventions. In his letter he states:

"If you had asked me just a few years ago how I felt about allowing drug addicts to trade their dirty needles for clean ones, I likely would have said I opposed it. But once I looked at the studies, I saw that these programs work. And they do not increase drug use. On the contrary, these programs often help get drug addicts into rehabilitation where they can be helped.

As a physician, I support needle exchange programs because I want to see HIV and Hepatitis B and C fought with the best tools available.

As a Christian, I support needle exchange programs because I know every life has value to God, who does not allow me to give up on anyone."

"I wish this was not an issue which we needed to address. I would much prefer that no one in Texas would ever get addicted to injected drugs or put themselves and others at risk for dangerous and often deadly diseases. But since these problems exist, we must fight them with the very best tools at our disposal."

Senator Deuell has passed syringe exchange legislation in the Senate in 2007 and 2009 (23-6 Senators voted in favor of SB 188) and is ready to do so again if the House approves HB 117. HB 117 would provide counties with a population of over 300,000 the option of authorizing syringe exchange programs. There are many private funding options for syringe exchange services which would allow the state and counties to avoid spending public money while authorizing programs that would save the state the cost of treating additional cases of HIV and blood borne infections. It's a win-win situation. And on the face of things this bill appears to align perfectly with the conservative platform: it aims to preserve and save lives, it is a local control measure, and it would save the state and the taxpayer millions of valuable dollars by sparing counties and public hospitals the burden of treating additional infectious disease among the uninsured by preventing it in the first place.

If Texas legislators are sincere about implementing successful and sound measures to save the state money then there is absolutely no good reason for not supporting House Bill 117. There is no rational excuse for Public Health Committee Chair, Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, not scheduling a hearing. And there is no sense in keeping Texas from having access to the second most effective HIV intervention, syringe exchange.

Representative Eric Johnson signs on to HB 117

2011-03-03T11:02:00.007-06:00

Representative Eric Johnson (D-Dallas) has signed on to HB 117 as Coauthor. Dallas County has been one of the counties hardest hit by HIV in Texas. With over 13,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, Dallas County has the highest rate of HIV infection in Texas. Thank you Rep. Johnson for supporting sensible HIV interventions that would not only bring people who struggle with drug dependence into services, but also reduce drug abuse and disease!

Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy makes 'The Conservative Case for Needle Exchange'

2011-02-23T17:13:00.010-06:00

William Martin, Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, has once again delivered a stunning commentary on why needle exchange in Texas and why now more than ever. The article in today's Texas Tribune, "The Conservative Case for Needle Exchange," reminds Texans that needle exchange programs are an essential component in addressing addiction, helping people seek treatment for their addiction, and saving the state piles of money while decreasing the burden of disease.

In 2007 and 2009, Senator Bob Deuell championed syringe exchange in the Texas Senate. Martin recalls Deuell's support for syringe exchange as grounded in not only science, but also in compassion and Christianity.

'Sen. Bob Deuell, a conservative Republican and a practicing doctor, sponsored similar bills in both 2007 and 2009. "At one time," he recalled, "I was opposed, but I looked at the data. When people have disagreed with my vote, I've shown them the data and asked them, 'How could I argue with that?'" A fiscal conservative, Deuell also noted that syringe exchange makes good economic sense: "It costs us a fortune to treat HIV and hepatitis C. It's breaking the budget."

Deuell's support of needle exchange does not rest on science and economics alone. "I look at it from the Christian viewpoint," he said. "What would Jesus do? We need to show compassion and try to help. [Addicts] are God's children, too. When they need new needles, this puts them in touch with someone who might reach them. The very act of handing them clean needles says, 'Your life has value to me. I want you to know that we care about you. When you want to get off, we're here to help you.' If they're in a back alley, using a dirty needle, there's no chance of that."'

States that offer syringe exchange programs have significantly reduced the incidence of HIV among injection drug users.

'A Johns Hopkins study of the Baltimore City Needle Exchange found that, after six years in operation, the incidence of HIV in Baltimore decreased by 35 percent overall and 70 percent among the approximately 10,000 participants in the program. Even more striking, epidemiologist Don Des Jarlais, director of research at New York’s Beth Israel Medical Center and a leading expert on syringe exchange, reports that the incidence of new HIV infections among injecting drug users in New York City has dropped to less than 1 percent per year. "We appear," he said, "to be very close to eliminating injecting-related transmission in a city with over 100,000 injecting drug users." '

Thank you Mr. Martin for presenting the facts and reminding us that syringe exchange as disease prevention has had strong support, from Republicans, Democrats and Christians alike, here in Texas.

Read full article.

Representative Susan King signs on to HB 117 as Joint Author

2011-02-15T14:08:00.007-06:00

Appropriations, House Administration (Procedural), and Public Health Committee member Susan King has signed on to House Bill 117. The Primary and Joint Authors of HB 117 reaffirm that providing counties with the option of allowing disease prevention outreach programs that address the consequences of injection drug use at the point of preventing further transmission of deadly disease remains an issue with strong bipartisan support here in Texas:

A sincere thank you to Representative King, a Registered Nurse and staunch supporter of disease prevention outreach programs!

Representative Garnet Coleman signs on to HB 117 as Joint Author

2011-02-14T17:31:00.004-06:00

County Affairs Chair and Public Health Committee member Garnet Coleman has signed on to House Bill 117, by Representative Ruth Jones McClendon. Representative Coleman has been a strong supporter and champion of HIV disease prevention outreach programs. A heartfelt thank you to Representative Coleman!

HB 117 referred to House Committee on Public Health

2011-02-11T23:09:00.003-06:00

House Bill 117, by Representative Ruth Jones McClendon, received its first reading and was then referred to the Committee on Public Health. Representative John Zerwas, Public Health committee member, signed on two weeks ago as joint author. Representative Zerwas, along with five other members of the current Committee on Public Health (Vice Chair Elliott Naishtat, Chair Garnet Coleman, Chair Veronica Gonzales, Representative Susan King, and Chair Vicki Truitt), voted in favor of the same piece of legislation when it came before the committee last session.

New Mexico Department of Health reduces disease through needle exchange program

2011-02-09T22:42:00.014-06:00

The New Mexico Department of Health's needle exchange program has been tasked with reducing new cases of AIDS in New Mexico since 1998. The New Mexico Harm Reduction Act was passed in 1997 to reduce the spread of blood borne diseases that are transmitted by the reuse of needles and/or syringes. In addition to promoting public health by reducing the number of cases of deadly disease, such as HIV and hepatitis C, the program is keeping communities safer by minimizing the number of improperly discarded syringes found in parks and playgrounds. As part of its harm reduction and needle exchange services the Department of Health also offers hepatitis screening, hepatitis A and B vaccinations, overdose prevention training, health promotion and disease prevention education, primary medical care and drug treatment referrals.

The purpose of the program according to Dave Daniels, an HIV educator in Las Cruces, New Mexico is 'first is to get possible infected needles out of the community and the second is to develop trust with the participants so when they are ready to start fighting the addiction, they have a person to turn to whom they trust.'

New Mexico has also had extensive support from law enforcement. A powerpoint presentation by Sonny Leeper, former Captain of the Albuquerque Police Department, explains the New Mexico Harm Reduction Act of 1997 and explains how needle exchange helps protect police officers from the risk of needlestick injury.

Read more about needle exchange in New Mexico here.

HB 117 picks up a Joint Author

2011-01-28T12:41:00.004-06:00

Representative and physician John Zerwas signs on to House Bill 117, by Representative Ruth Jones McClendon. Representative Zerwas worked hard with fellow members of the House Committee on Public Health last session to strengthen similar legislation, which was successfully voted out of committee. Thank you again Representative Zerwas!

House Bill 117 leads into 82nd legislative session

2011-01-07T12:55:00.004-06:00

At least one syringe exchange bill has been pre-filed leading up to the 82nd Texas legislative session. House Bill 117, filed by Representative Ruth Jones McClendon, would provide local authorities (in Texas counties with a population over 300,000) the option of authorizing disease prevention outreach programs, such as syringe exchange. This would allow community-based and faith-based organizations to provide compassionate, evidence-based outreach services that reduce blood borne disease transmission among individuals, and their loved ones, struggling with drug addiction here in Texas. In addition to reducing disease, syringe exchange programs make communities safer through proper disposal of used syringes, reducing rates of drug use, reducing the number of needle stick injuries to first responders and law enforcement, providing referrals to drug treatment, and increasing the likelihood of successful treatment outcomes. See full text of bill here.

Legislature has easy way to cut spending in Texas

2011-01-05T09:35:00.010-06:00

Check out the Op-ed on syringe exchange in today's issue of the Houston Chronicle. An excerpt:

"Syringe exchange is life preservation, not drug support. Drug addiction is painful and costly enough. If we know how to keep HIV and HCV out of the picture, it would be irresponsible and expensive to continue not to do so here in Texas. Evidence-based interventions that reduce HIV transmission, such as syringe exchanges, are vital to the health and well-being of all Texans."

UN Reference group on HIV and injecting drug use calls for evidence based approach

2010-12-09T13:16:00.007-06:00

The 2010 Consensus Statement of the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use calls for an evidence-based approach to control the spread of HIV among people who use drugs and their non-using partners. The Reference group identifies key issues and makes recommendations to respond to the dual crisis of injection drug use and HIV.

The Statement calls for a human rights, comprehensive, evidence-based approach that includes:

1. Needle and syringe programmes (NSPs)

2. Opioid substitution therapy (OST) and other drug dependence treatment

3. HIV testing and counselling (T&C)

4. Antiretroviral therapy (AR T)

5. Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

6. Condom programmes for IDUs and their sexual partners

7. Targeted information, education and communication (IEC) for IDUs and their sexual partners

8. Vaccination, diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis

9. Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB)

The report urges legislators to remove legal barriers to syringe exchange and calls for a cooperative effort among law enforcement and health workers in order to increase access to HIV prevention, treatment and care.

Needle exchange in Iran

2010-12-06T15:26:00.005-06:00

Tina Rosenberg's opinion piece in the New York Times, "An Enlightenend Exchange in Iran," paints a compelling portrait of the power of treating drug abuse as health policy. Iran has successfully averted an HIV nightmare by aggressively embracing harm reduction and needle exchange. In Iran, 68% of HIV infections come from sharing a contaminated syringe. Despite its reputation as one of the most repressive regimes in the world Iran has adopted a policy of treating drug abuse as a disease, not a crime. And as health policy, drug abuse "is a health issue — not just for drug users, but for everyone" (see the follow up article, "How Iran Derailed a Health Crisis").

An excerpt from "An Enlightened Exchange in Iran":

"The rate of new H.I.V. infections in Iran rose until 2005, and has dropped ever since. A top drug control official, Saeed Sefatian, said in 2008 that 18 percent of injecting drug users were H.I.V.-positive, but estimated that if it weren’t for harm reduction, that number would have been 40 percent. New infections among drug users have continued to drop. Surveys at sentinel sites in pre-natal clinics have not yet turned up not a single pregnant woman with H.I.V. (UNAIDS report, p. 97) ─ an excellent indication that the epidemic has been contained.

By pointing out the success of this program, I do not mean to endorse Iran’s prisons, where political dissidents are being tortured. Nor does Iran’s modern approach to harm reduction redeem the government’s stone-age approach to just about everything else. The same ayatollah who told judges not to get in the way of harm reduction was the man who closed dozens of newspapers. The important point here is that even a theocracy as repressive and rigid as Iran ─ the anti-Amsterdam ─ managed to create policies that have likely saved the country from an AIDS and drug disaster."

If Iran can, why can't Texas?

World AIDS Day 2010

2010-12-01T16:27:00.020-06:00

Today is World AIDS Day. The current World AIDS Day Campaign theme is Universal Access and Human Rights. Universal access includes the right to care, treatment and prevention. The Harm Reduction Coalition issued this World AIDS day statement:

"Responses to both the domestic and the global HIV/AIDS epidemics among people who inject drugs face similar challenges: drug-related stigma that underpins repressive policies, lack of political will, and limited funding. Moreover, access to care and treatment remains limited for HIV+ drug users, who face multiple obstacles to obtaining antiretroviral therapy along with the associated health risks of hepatitis C, tuberculosis, and overdose. The 2010 World AIDS Day theme of Universal Access and Human Rights has a special urgency for people who use drugs, signifying an unrealized promise and demanding immediate action. The Harm Reduction Coalition calls upon governments and civil society to recommit to making Universal Access and Human Rights a reality for all people who use drugs as a necessary foundation for ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic."

Dr. David Lakey, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services reminds us in a special article to the Star-Telegram that 1 out of every 387 Texans are HIV-infected. The rate of new HIV infections in Texas is stable, but not decreasing. In addition, Texas is a late to diagnose state: 1 in 3 people diagnosed with HIV will progress to AIDS within a year. Dr. Lakey urges 'know your status; protect each other.'

Syringe exchange is the second most effective intervention at reducing HIV transmission, next to only PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child transmission). Yet, Texas continues to remain one of the only states in which access to sterile syringes is prohibited, which gets in the way of preventing new infections and saving lives. Please take a moment today to remember loved ones lost and continue to commemorate them by supporting sensible disease prevention programs that will protect others from needless pain and suffering.

Legislative briefing draws experts from across the U.S.

2010-11-17T20:44:00.018-06:00

Today's briefing on syringe access occurred on the eve of the 8th National Harm Reduction Conference, the nation's leading gathering of harm reduction enthusiasts and experts from around the globe. A panel of six speakers convened in the Texas Capitol Legislative Conference Center to reinforce the importance of syringe access as a successful disease prevention tool that Texas has gone far too long without and paid too high a price.

Don Des Jarlais (pictured above), Director of Research at Beth Israel Medical Center, spoke about the safety and efficacy of syringe exchange. He is a leading researcher on AIDS and injection drug use. He reminded listeners that syringe exchange programs offer a low cost and cost effective way to reduce the burden on the public system of treating the expensive twin epidemics of HIV and hepatitis C.

Allan Clear, Executive Director of the Harm Reduction Coalition and a nationally and internationally renowned harm reduction expert, spoke about the decision of the U.S. Congress to end a twenty year ban on the use of federal funds for syringe exchange in December 2009. He noted that cities such as New York, that offered syringe exchange early on, were able to avert large-scale HIV epidemics in drug users. He reminded us that while there may have been reason to be skeptical about syringe exchange twenty years ago when no one knew or understood what these programs were, we now know that syringe exchange is the second most scientifically proven effective HIV prevention method, next to only prevention of mother-to-child transmission.

Ruthie Burich, Prevention Specialist at AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW), spoke about her experience providing syringe exchange services and HIV testing and counseling to injection drug users in a state that has successfully reduced rates of HIV in this high risk population. ARCW operates Lifepoint, one of the nation's leading statewide needle exchange programs. Lifepoint serves clients and families in eleven cities throughout the state. Ruthie explained that programs not only offer access to sterile syringes, but also often provide primary health care services and referral to drug treatment.

Heather Edney, a marketing consultant from Southern California shared how syringe exchange programs saved her life after she became addicted to drugs at the age of fifteen and throughout her high-achieving teenage and college years. She explained how access to sterile syringes kept her from getting HIV, hepatitis C and other deadly blood borne infections until she was ready and able to successfully seek drug abuse treatment services. She pointed out that one syringe may cost as little as 0.08 cents, which seems reasonable compared to the price of doing nothing.

Jill Rips (left), Deputy Executive Director at San Antonio AIDS Foundation, has supported establishing syringe exchange programs in San Antonio where rates of hepatitis C and AIDS in injection drug using populations remain alarmingly high. Clients in Texas who continue to struggle with addiction and disease are left with very few options and resources, despite a willingness to protect themselves and loved ones from further transmission of HIV and other infections.

Tracey Hayes, Field Organizer at the ACLU of Texas and Project Director of The Access Project for over six years, spoke about the success of syringe exchange legislation in the 81st legislative session. She reminded the audience that the issue continues to bring together parties on both sides of the aisle and maintains a strong bipartisan coalition of supporters who support these sensible programs that save lives and taxpayer dollars.

A very special thank you to our panelists and guests today! Here's to hoping the legislature is poised and ready in 2011 to pass legislation that will immediately begin saving the public system from continuing to pay millions of dollars in expensive emergency room visits and chronic HIV and hepatitis C treatment costs, which is where drug users end up when we choose to do nothing.

8th National Harm Reduction Conference comes to Texas Nov. 18th-21st

2010-11-16T13:57:00.013-06:00

Dear friend,

As we reflect upon history made by the Texas Legislature in 2009 and prepare for the 2011 82^ndLegislative Session, we are happy to report that the ban on the use of federal funds for syringe exchange programs has finally come to an end in the interim. As proposed in 2009, Texas Senate Bill 188 would have allowed local options for disease prevention programs including syringe exchange. Senate Bill 188 made history by making it farther through the legislature than any similar legislation filed since 1993, inspiring the largest bi-partisan coalition of House and Senate bill authors and supporters ever on this issue, and bringing together an unprecedented and diverse coalition of supporting organizations from around the state. We are optimistic that in 2011 Texas will follow the lead of the U.S. Congress and keep pace with the nation in allowing programs that effectively save lives and taxpayer money.

As of 2008, 14,147 Texans were living with HIV/AIDS as a result of having acquired this deadly disease directly from injection drug use, or indirectly as a partner or child of an injection drug user. An estimated 300,000 Texans are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), the leading cause of liver disease. Injection drug use is the number one risk factor for HCV. Syringe exchange programs safely and effectively reduce the transmission of these diseases and save the state from bearing the burden of millions of dollars in treatment costs.

Austin is fortunate to host the 2010 8^th National Harm Reduction Conference, Harm Reduction Beyond Borders, November 18- 21. The conference takes place at the Renaissance Hotel at 9721 Arboretum Boulevard. Please visit the website for further details (www.8thnationalharmreductionconference.com). We invite you to join like-minded Texans at a special conference session hosted by The Access Project, Texans Mobilizing for 2011: Syringe Exchange in the 82nd Texas Legislative Session, on Thursday, November 18^th, 2010 at 7:15 p.m. The Access Project looks to bring stakeholders to the table to organize and plan advocacy action steps for the upcoming legislative session.

For further information on the history, safety and effectiveness of these lifesaving programs please visit The Access Project website (www.texasaccessproject.org) or contact Jenny Panzo, Education Coordinator at The Access Project, at jenny@texasaccessproject.org. The Access Project looks forward to seeing you at the conference!

Kind regards,

Jenny Panzo, MPH

Legislative briefing at the Capitol

2010-11-12T14:24:00.019-06:00

Join The Access Project for an interim legislative briefing at the Texas Capitol as we prepare for what is sure to be an extra fun-filled and jam-packed 82nd Legislative Session. Let's make sure that with redistricting, immigration and a budget crisis on the table disease prevention programs don't get left behind!

Live saving policy well within reach

2009-06-03T13:41:00.013-05:00

The Texas Legislature adjourned Monday evening without passing SB 188, which would have allowed local options for setting up disease prevention programs including syringe exchange. While the final hurdle was not passed, many legislators let us know they believe it would have had the votes to pass the House floor if it had been called up for a debate and vote.

Senate Bill 188 made Texas History this year by:

making it farther through the legislative process than any similar piece of legislation filed since 1993;

inspiring the largest bi-partisan coalition of House and Senate bill authors and supporters ever for this issue; and

bringing together an unprecedented and diverse coalition of supporting organizations from around the state.

So what now?

The Texas Legislature will not meet again for a regular session until January, 2011. However, over the summer House Speaker Joe Straus will be considering the issues he will direct House Committees to study during the interim. In order for House members and the public to have an even better understanding of the need for allowing syringe exchange programs to operate throughout Texas, it would be wonderful to see Speaker Straus direct the Public Health Committee to investigate the issue further and to provide a space for regional feedback on the issue from the public.

The committee could review the effectiveness of current efforts in Texas to curb the spread of HIV and hepatitis B & C among Texas' injection drug using population, and provide recommendations for how these efforts could be improved in order to save lives and reduce indigent health care costs to the state. Committee members might even be directed to travel to a state such as Maryland to visit longstanding successful syringe exchange programs where they can witness firsthand the measurable benefits of allowing such programs.

What are your thoughts for next steps to educate Texans about the importance of allowing syringe exchange programs in Texas? We would appreciate hearing your feedback. Feel free to leave a public comment or email your thoughts to noelle@texasaccessproject.org.

SB 188 waiting on General Calendar

2009-05-24T18:38:00.001-05:00

The Texas House of Representatives is delaying the debate and vote on Senate Bill 188 for reasons unrelated to the bill, and we are waiting every day to see if the bill will be heard before the Tuesday deadline.

Click here to see the bi-partisan list of authors and sponsors, and to learn more about what the legislation would allow if passed.

Click here to read the House Research Organization's updated bill analysis for SB 188.

HIV exploding in rural Texas but SB188 will not offer local options for rural areas

2009-05-21T12:30:00.015-05:00

The Abeline Reporter News reported this week that the city has seen a drastic rise in HIV cases, which is partially due to an increase in injection of methamphetamine. According to Kevin Owens, director of medical services at AIDS Resources of Rural Texas:

"Intravenous methamphetamine abuse in rural areas, which exploded 10 to 12 years ago, can account for new cases, Owens said.

"'A lot of people are now coming in with HIV and hepatitis C,' he said, saying that in his earlier career in rural health in Ballinger he was surprised by the prevalence of such drugs in rural communities."

These increases in cases cost tax payers as well as private health insurance pools. Mr. Owens discussed the cost of these services to taxpayers:

"The gains that have come do come at a cost, he said, with treatments costing a minimum of $1,400 a month.

"But the majority of patients ARRT sees get their medications through the state- and federally-funded Texas HIV Medication Program, paying only a $5 co-pay."

The current version of SB188 only allows local options for disease prevention in Texas counties with over 300,000 residents. Abeline is in Taylor County, a county with 126,555 residents, so the bill will not allow Abeline to choose to prevent these diseases using proven syringe exchange programs.

In its current form, SB188 will only allow the local option in 12 Texas counties: Bexar, Cameron, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Fort Bend, Harris, Hidalgo, Nueces, Tarrant and Travis.

Learn more about HIV in rural Texas here and here.

SB188 set on House Calendar for tomorrow

2009-05-20T12:45:00.005-05:00

SB188, the bill that allows local options to set up publicly or privately-funded disease prevention programs including syringe exchange, has been set on the House Calendar for tomorrow, Thursday, May 21. If the House is unable to reach the bill tomorrow, they are likely to reach the bill on Friday.

SB188 doesn't mandate or fund any program - it simply gives local urban areas another option for life-saving disease prevention. The bill will save millions of state and local tax dollars, save first responders and other innocent victims' lives, and save lives within the main affected community. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the programs do not increase drug use but do increase the use of drug treatment.

SB188 will:

allow local entities to authorize a privately-funded or local tax-funded program in their area,
offer education and a path to treatment and recovery to every client of the program,
require programs to exchange a dirty syringe for every safe and clean one they provide,
require monitoring and reporting of each program so we know they are effective, and
only apply to counties with over 300,000 residents.

Please be sure that your friends who are interested in this legislation are aware that the Texas House may debate the issue tomorrow. You can always find more information on this blog and this website. Thank you and stay tuned!

More legislators and organizations support SB188 as it moves to House Calendars Committee

2009-05-18T12:35:00.004-05:00

With two weeks left in session, SB188 is on its way to the Calendars Committee. The new bill language, fiscal note and bill analysis is available here. The list of bill authors, sponsors and cosponsors has grown and now includes:

These House members join a strong list of authors in the Senate:

The official witness list for the House Public Health Committee hearing is available here. Organizations testifying or registering in favor of SB188 include:

Organizations that could not attend the hearing but submitted letters and resolutions in support include:

We will update you when the House Calendars Committee has acted. In the meantime, don't miss the excellent Grits for Breakfast coverage after the House hearing. Stay tuned!

Powerful coalition endorses federal syringe exchange legislation

2009-05-07T23:57:00.024-05:00

Federal law authorizes syringe exchange programs - many organizations would like to see the federal government fund the programs also. In a letter to President Obama, the Hepatitis C Appropriations Partnership (HCAP) requested federal support for syringe exchange programs.

This impressive coalition of organizations all agree with the Texas Department of State Health Services that there is overwhelming scientific evidence that the transmission of HIV through injection drug use can be decreased significantly by needle exchange programs, and that they do not increase drug use. At this time, the group includes:

ACT UP Philadelphia
Agape Center, Woonsocket, RI
AIDS Action Baltimore
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts
AIDS Action Council, Washington, DC
AIDS Alabama, Birmingham, AL
AIDS Community Research Consortium (ACRC), Redwood City, CA
AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, New York, NY
The AIDS Institute, Washington, DC
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
AIDS Support Network, San Luis Obispo, CA
AIDS Treatment Data Network, New York, NY
Alert Health, Inc., North Miami, FL
Alliance for Saving Lives, San Francisco, CA
American Liver Foundation
Arizona Hepatitis C Coalition
Asian Health Coalition of Illinois
Asian Liver Center at Stanford University
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
Bangor STD Clinic, Bangor, ME
CAB Health & Recovery Services, Lynn, MA
California Hepatitis Alliance (CalHEP)
Caring Ambassadors Program, Inc., Vancouver, WA
Cascade AIDS Project, Portland, OR
Chicago Recovery Alliance
Community Health Action of Staten Island
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project
Discovery House: Bangor
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, NY
Drug Abuse Alternatives Center, Santa Rosa, CA
Florida Association of Public Health Nurses (FAPHN), Inc. Foundation for Healthy Living , Latham, NY
Georgia Doty Health Education Fund, IL
Greenview Hepatitis C Fund, Ann Arbor, MI
Harlem United Community AIDS Center
Harm Reduction Center of Southern Oregon
Harm Reduction Coalition
Hepatitis Support Network of Hawai’i
hepCmeditations project, Seattle, WA
Hep C Advocate Network, Inc. (HEPCAN), Longview, TX
HCV & HBV Support Group / O'Connor Hospital, Delhi, NY
H.E.A.L.S of the South, Hepatitis Education Awareness and Liver Support, Tallahassee, FL
Hep C Connection, Denver, CO
Hepatitis B Foundation
Hepatitis C Association, Scotch Plains, NJ
Hepatitis C Support Group – NYU Medical Center
Hepatitis C Support Project/HCV Advocate, San Francisco, CA
Hepatitis Education Project, Seattle, WA
Hepatitis Foundation International
Hepatitis Outbreaks’ National Organization for Reform (HONOReform)
HIV/AIDS Services for African Americans in Alaska, Anchorage, AK
HIVictorious, Inc., Madison, WI
HIV Alliance, Eugene, OR
Immunization Action Coalition
Latino Organization for Liver Awareness ( L.O.L.A.), New York, NY
Liver Health Today, Houston, TX
LiverHope, Minnetonka, MN
Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center
Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center, New York, NY
Maryland Hepatitis C Action, Annapolis, MD
Maryland Viral Hepatitis Task Force, Baltimore, MD
Maui AIDS Foundation
Mission Neighborhood Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Mo Hepatitis C Alliance
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA)
National Coalition of STD Directors
National Task Force on Hepatitis B: Focus on Asian and Pacific Islander Americans
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
New York Harm Reduction Educators Inc.
New Mexico Hepatitis C Alliance
North Shore Health Project, Gloucester, MA
NYC AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN)
Ohio Asian American Health Coalition
OraSure Technologies, Inc.
Piedmont HIV Health Care Consortium, Durham, NC
Point of Change, Inc., Detroit, MI
Positive Health Project, Inc., New York, NY
Project Inform, San Francisco, CA
PROYECTO SOL, Philadelphia, PA
San Mateo County AIDS Community Board, San Mateo, CA
Southern AIDS Coalition
St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction, Bronx, NY
Status C Unknown, Inc., Medford, NY
Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN), Chicago, IL
Title II Community AIDS National Network, Washington, DC
Treatment Access Expansion Project
Treatment Action Group, New York, NY
The Virology Treatment Center, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME
Upstate New York Hepatitis Awareness Project, Delancey, NY
Utah Department of Corrections
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
Virginia Hepatitis Education and Training Center, Springfield, VA
Visionary Health Concepts
VOCAL-NY Users Union
Wabanaki Mental Health, Bangor, ME
Weill Cornell Medical Center
Western Maine Community Action Health Services, Lewiston, ME
Wilson Resource Center, Arnolds Park, IA
Wings for Life

SB188 headed to House floor with strong support

2009-05-07T16:26:00.014-05:00

The Texas House Public Health Committee voted SB188 favorably out of committee this afternoon. The bill will be considered for the House floor schedule by the House Calendars Committee.

In the House committee process, the Senate bill and three similar House bills became one agreed piece of legislation with several strengthening amendments. During the formal meeting today, Chair Kolkhorst added language that strengthens the bill's monitoring and reporting requirements and Representative John Davis amended the preamble to clarify the legislation's purpose.

Voting in favor of the legislation were: Chairman Garnet Coleman, Representative John E. Davis, Chair Veronica Gonzales, Chair Susan King, Vice Chair Elliott Naishtat, Chair Vicki Truitt, and Chair (and Doctor) John Zerwas.

We will post updates regarding the witness list from Tuesday's hearing, the language of the committee substitute, and possible timing of a House floor decision as soon as we obtain these pieces of information.

House committee testimony overwhelmingly in favor of local control over disease prevention

2009-05-06T18:35:00.010-05:00

The House Public Health Committee received testimony yesterday from several members of the clergy, the Texas Medical Association, a Senior Fellow for Religion and Public Policy, the Texas Department of State Health Services (resource witness), law enforcement, health providers and others - overwhelmingly in favor of giving local authorities the option to allow syringe exchange disease prevention programs. In addition, the Committee received letters and words of support from elected officials and organizations that could not attend the hearing including a Police Chief, Sheriffs, Constables, County Commissioners, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas and Scott & White hospital. We will post the letters and witness lists as they become available.

The hearing is available online for your viewing pleasure. It took place in three segments: morning can be seen here (forward to 1:00:45); lunch can be seen here; and the night time can be viewed here.

In addition, Grits for Breakfast covered the issue masterfully before and after the hearing. In the first piece, Grits provides links to all prior coverage which gives a rich history of the issue, and correctly points out:

"A majority of Public Health Committee members already voted for needle exchange once. The House had a vote in 2007 on an amendment by Rep. McLendon to allow a needle exchange pilot in Bexar County that tells us a lot about the bill's likely reception on committee. Here's how the committee members voted on that 2007 amendment:
Ayes: Naishtat; Coleman; Gonzales; Hopson; McReynolds, King, S;

Nays: Laubenberg, Truitt

Absent: Kolkhorst; Davis, J;

Present not voting: Zerwas"

In the second piece published after the morning hearing, Grits observed:

"Rep. Susan King, who chaired the subcommittee, was an especially knowledgeable and enthusiastic proponent for the legislation; I hope she'll repeat the performance when it comes up on the House floor because she did a great job arguing the merits of the program.

"Reacting to urging from the chair and committee member Dr. John Zerwas, King said the subcommittee added a strong counseling component to the bill, requiring syringe exchange programs to be "one stop shopping" information centers for helping drug addicts access treatment and medical services.

"The witnesses began with ministers from St. Mark's in San Antonio and another minister from Austin who gave a faith-based argument for the program. A minister from St. Mark's said Christ ate and sat with sinners, not to condone them but to redeem them. The Austin minister said healing was a central activity of Jesus' own ministry - 72% of Jesus' miraculous activity relates to healing those with physical or mental illness, he said."

Things are happening quickly now. Please stay tuned for more information about this life-saving legislation as it becomes available.

The evening portion of the hearing is beginning

2009-05-05T20:44:00.003-05:00

Watch the live video feed here.

First videos of the House Public Health Committee hearings are posted

2009-05-05T19:02:00.008-05:00

The House Public Health Committee began its hearing on SB188 at 9:15am today and continued until the House convened at 10am - watch the video here (forward to 1:00:45). The Committee continued the hearing during the lunch break - watch the video here.

The Committee heard testimony from experts and faith leaders from various Christian denominations. We'll discuss the hearing in later posts but there is no substitute for watching the videos yourself!

The Committee will continue to receive testimony on SB188 after the House adjourns today. As of this moment, they are still going strong on the House floor so we don't know what time that will be. Once they begin, you can watch this evening's hearing live here. ... Stay tuned.

Faith based panel will resume at the lunch break

2009-05-05T10:00:00.002-05:00

The faith-based panel was not able to complete it's testimony this morning, so it will continue at the House lunch break. The remainder of the hearing on SB188 will continue after the House adjourns.

SB188 hearing schedule

2009-05-05T08:33:00.009-05:00

Chair Kolkhorst announced the schedule for SB188 this morning. Testimony from the first panel will be received at 9am. The Committee will break to go to the House floor by 10am, and the remainder of the SB188 hearing will take place this afternoon a few minutes after the House adjourns for the day.

Watch the hearing live online here.

Bexar County Judge Nelson W. Wolff and Commissioners Court Support SB188

2009-05-04T22:06:00.014-05:00

Bexar County Commissioners Court presiding officer Judge Nelson W. Wolff, who will be in a work session in San Antonio while the House Public Health Committee considers SB188 in Austin, sent the Commissioners Court's written support for SB188 for the legislature's consideration.

SB188 is a local options bill - it does not mandate any program. The legislation simply allows local governments to fund a local program, or authorize a privately-funded charity program, or simply do nothing. The Committee Substitute is expected to permit this disease prevention option in any Texas county with over 300,000 residents.

Soon after the Texas legislature authorized a pilot program in Bexar County in 2007, Judge Wolff (who has served the City of San Antonio as a city council member and as it's mayor and has served Bexar County as a member of the Texas House, the Texas Senate, and now serves as the head of Bexar County government) and his Commissioners Court unanimously authorized county funds to support the program. In his letter of support, he states:

"[W]e believe that a Sterile Needle Exchange program will stop the spread of blood borne diseases like HIV and various kinds of Hepititis. The cost of treatment to the taxpayers of Bexar County often runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for each infected person.

"Further, the history and experience of Sterile Needle Exchange programs in every other state in the nation has demonstrated that these programs promote access to drug treatment."

The hearing is expected to begin Tuesday, May 5, at 8:00 AM in Texas Capitol room E2.012. Watch the hearing live online here.

House Public Health Committee set to hear syringe access bill next week

2009-04-30T21:38:00.004-05:00

Senator Deuell's syringe access bill, SB 188, is scheduled for a hearing in the House Public Health Committee on Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at 8:00 AM in E2.012 in the Texas Capitol. Click here to see the full text of the bill, as well as its fiscal note and analysis. Find names and contact information for the Representatives who sit on the committee here.

If a majority of the committee members vote to approve the bill on Tuesday, it can then move on for consideration by the House Calendars Committee.

Texas agency concludes syringe exchange programs do not increase drug use and do increase the use of drug treatment

2009-04-22T08:34:00.016-05:00

The Texas Department of State Health Services posted their official conclusions about disease prevention through syringe exchange. They conclude:

Numerous studies indicate that SEPs do not increase drug use or crime, but do increase the use of substance abuse treatment services.

It's funny how sometimes things that seem obvious turn out to be false. It seems obvious to many that exchanging a clean syringe for a dirty one from a drug addict would encourage drug use ... but it turns out the opposite is true.

Syringe exchange programs often become an injection drug user's only window into the functioning world. As they exchange their syringes, they are kindly offered a path to recovery at the same time. These studies show that many users choose to enter recovery, and many successfully recover, by accepting the invitation to treatment which they were only offered in one place time after time - their syringe exchange program.

As syringe exchange programs have increased, researchers' access to hard data has increased and it all seems to be pointing to the same conclusion. Our Texas agency now joins the National Institute of Health, the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Johns Hopkins and New York Academy of Medicine, the Chicago Recovery Alliance Outreach Program, the New Haven Connecticut Syringe Exchange Program, the Tacoma and Seattle Washington Syringe Exchange Programs, and others who have concluded that syringe exchange programs increase drug users' use of drug treatment and recovery services.

Make sure you are receiving your email updates about this issue in Texas by signing up here.

Why do some people oppose disease prevention?

2009-04-20T18:57:00.024-05:00

Syringe exchange programs are accepted throughout the United States as part of a comprehensive approach to prevent infections like HIV, Hep B and Hep C among drug users and the innocent victims they expose to these deadly diseases. They are also the number one proven way that these addicts enter recovery.

So why do some people oppose them? While most people have benevolent intentions, some people claim that they oppose syringe exchange programs because they want injection drug users to die. This cruel sentiment has been expressed from time to time throughout the history of HIV prevention programs, as well as in recent cyberspace and blogosphere postings in conversations about the Texas legislation.

When discussing the Texas legislation, some people have advocated poisoning the drug user's needles with cyanide. Others have suggested ending their lives in other ways.

It's difficult to know what to say when a fellow Texan takes such a harsh position, condescending to the point that they claim human life is disposable. One approach is to decline to engage in this line of conversation.

Thankfully most Texans on both sides of the issue are interested in saving lives and preventing deadly diseases and the exposure of innocent victims. Most Texans believe in the ability of a person to change. In other words, fortunately the rest of Texas is having a respectful and interesting conversation about the issue this session.

House subcommittee hosts Senator Deuell to speak about bills

2009-04-16T23:40:00.031-05:00

Subcommittee Chair Susan King led a fast-paced and productive meeting on Thursday morning to consider giving locals more options for HIV and Hep B and C prevention. She and subcommittee members J. Davis, Naishtat, Coleman and Zerwas heard from Senator Deuell, Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus, as well as House bill authors Chair McClendon and Representative Ortiz.

The authors agreed to sign on to Senators Deuell, Van de Putte, Wentworth, Hinojosa, West and Zaffarini's bill SB188. Chair King and the subcommittee members agreed that Chairman Coleman would lead, and that they would move quickly to draft three changes to the bill to strengthen it.

The Christian thing to do

2009-04-06T13:40:00.002-05:00

Sunday's Houston Chronicle featured an opinion piece on why allowing local options for setting up syringe exchange programs is the Christian thing to do. Author Dr. William Martin addresses the shift toward ministering to people with HIV/AIDS that has taken place within conservative Christian churches in recent years:

Then, in 2002, Franklin Graham hosted Prescription for Hope, a global conference attended by more than 800 Christians from many countries and denominations. PBS Frontline pointed to that gathering as the moment at which Christians got involved in confronting HIV/AIDS. Soon afterward, Rick (author of The Purpose Driven Life) and Kay Warren launched a major HIV/AIDS initiative. Today, many other churches, large and small, minister to people stricken with this disease. These ministries do not screen the people they serve to make sure they were infected through no fault of their own. They meet them at the point of their need and offer what help they can.

Then at the end of the piece Dr. Martin poses a compelling question:

How can we justify saying it is permissible, even laudable, to help people after they have contracted HIV/AIDS, but wrong to approve of measures that significantly reduce their chances of contracting that disease? Jesus had nothing to say about needles, but we do know how he treated social outcasts and sinners, and he had a great deal to say about people who let prim concern with their own righteousness interfere with offering needed assistance to those in peril.

In other news, last week the San Antonio Express-News editorial board again called on the Texas Legislature to "finally give Bexar County and other municipalities the ability to invest in a proven life-saving and cost-saving effort." The editorial also addresses common misconceptions about syringe exchange programs:

The great myth about needle exchange is that it subsidizes and encourages illegal drug use. In fact, the drug use is already taking place. Studies of needle-exchange programs around the nation demonstrate they do not increase illegal drug use.

Deuell's bill does not require communities to create needle-exchange programs. It simply gives them the option to do so.

Click here to read all four of the local option bills filed this session.

Needle-exchange program curbing disease: Sask. study

2009-04-05T20:24:00.002-05:00

Our friends to the north released a study in February concerning needle exchange programs with positive results.

"A study released Tuesday suggests a provincially funded needle-exchange program is making a difference in Saskatchewan by sharply curbing disease.

The review, for the provincial Health Ministry, found that seven health regions have a needle-exchange program and an estimated four million needles are provided to Saskatchewan's 5,000 intravenous drug users each year.

The report concludes that the programs are meeting the goal of reducing the spread of disease.

It estimates that infections such as HIV and hepatitis C, which are expensive to treat, have been reduced in numbers by up to one-third among drug users, saving an estimated $4 million in health-care costs per year.

Despite the positive findings, the review notes there is room for improvement, especially in the area of needle returns and cleaning up discarded needles.

More

This supports much of what we said here a few weeks ago

Local options for HIV prevention

2009-04-01T15:04:00.008-05:00

Did you know that a privately-funded charity worker who is trying to save lives can be arrested and incarcerated in Texas if their program includes exchanging clean syringes for dirty ones that might carry HIV or Hep C? 73-year old Chaplain Bill Day currently faces a year behind bars for his volunteer work in a program funded in part by his church.

Did you know that a county government or hospital district employee can be sent to jail in Texas if they carry out an HIV prevention program that has been proven to save lives and tax dollars, and is currently legal in every state except Texas?

Today our local governments and private charities have no options due to a state mandate that criminalizes the exchange of clean syringes for dirty ones.

Local options would be allowed by the HIV prevention bills authored by Senators Deuell, Van de Putte, Wentworth, West, Zaffirini and Hinojosa; and Representatives McClendon, Crabb, Ortiz, McCall, Rodriguez, Coleman, Naishtat, and Farrar. The bills would allow each local government in Texas to choose whether or not to allow these disease prevention programs in the local area, and to choose whether or not to use tax funds to pay for the programs. Several national charities would like to fund the programs privately without any tax dollars - but right now state law says "no."

When the United States government funds HIV prevention through syringe access, which President Obama has promised that it will do ... wouldn't it be tragic if Texas medical providers and charities were threatened with criminal prosecution by state government if they choose to utilize the funds to save lives?

Chairwoman Kolkhorst, Chair of the Texas House Public Health Committee (pictured above), will decide tomorrow whether or not to set these local options bills for a hearing next week.

Texas prosecutor supports disease prevention, "I'm all for making this country and world a better place to live."

2009-03-27T15:43:00.015-05:00

Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley isn't the EF Hutton of Texas criminal justice that he used to be. When he talks ... fewer and fewer people listen. When Mr. Bradley tried to rally opposition to HIV prevention through syringe exchange this month on the computer forum where he communicates with fellow prosecutors across the state, he was met with the sound of crickets. (He goes by "JB" on the forum.) It's been over a week and there is no indication that any of his colleagues read his post.

The last time Mr. Bradley tried to stir up the same hornet's nest, in 2007, no one stuck out their neck to agree with him and one Texas prosecutor respectfully but firmly disagreed. Here is their conversation:

quote:
Originally posted by JB:
And next up are free cab rides for drunks at bars because of the high accident rate of drunks.

Is there a principle here for drawing a line and simply enforcing the law that is being broken?

I think the principal at work here is some realization that the war on drugs has not been very successful and that, in an effort to mitigate the high social costs of certain kinds of drug abuse, lawmakers are being realistic about the existence of the problem.

Social issues like disease and death via needle sharing, transmission of deadly disease to absolutely innocent third parties who contract via sex (or in the past, blood transfusions), the high costs to our public medical system that are basically bankrupting it and the spectre of addiction are being addressed with this approach.

I don't think anyone would argue that those not already inclined to engage in this activity would be lured into it by a program of this nature.

Instead, it is an effort to mitigate the above-listed problems, amongst others, and to extend some degree of humanity to those addicted persons currently behaving as outlaws.

If the program extended to supplying them whatever it was they needed drugwise, similar to the methadone program, I would think we could reduce drug related crimes massively, since the incentive to steal, rob, etc would be removed.

I'm all for making this country and world a better place to live. If this is what it takes to get these folks and their drug seeking crime off of the streets, not spread disease to innocents, and ease the burden on our public health care sector, then it seems like a good deal.

Bear in mind, JB, we're talking about a specific area here with problems that are directly and affirmatively linked to IV drug abuse. No one is proposing that crackheads be given free crack to smoke or a safe harbor to do it. (emphasis added.)

The Texas prosecutor association is on the record at the legislature as neutral on this HIV prevention legislation and testified that their members will have no problem if the legislature decides to grant local governments the option to use this disease prevention tool.

DA will not prosecute 73-year old Chaplain if HIV and Hep C prevention program passes

2009-03-26T09:49:00.011-05:00

As reported by USA Today, the LA Times and others, Bexar County (San Antonio) District Attorney Susan Reed is prosecuting 73-year-old San Antonio chaplain Bill Day for preventing the spread of HIV by removing deadly dirty needles from the community and exchanging them for clean ones. Chaplain Day currently faces one year of incarceration and thousands of dollars in fines.

Last week, Texas Senator Jeff Wentworth announced on the Senate floor that Susan Reed will dismiss the case if the Texas legislature approves the Chaplain's HIV prevention program:

"Susan Reed is the criminal District Attorney for Bexar County and she did have some difficulty with this but her office has advised my office that if this bill passes, she will not prosecute."

You can watch the video by clicking here and forwarding to 2:07:10.

SB 188 heads to the House, Chairman Coleman's HB 3707 referred to Public Health

2009-03-19T17:34:00.009-05:00

This morning Senator Deuell's disease control bill, SB 188, was considered on third reading and passed out of the Senate with 23 yeas and 6 nays. Now the bill will head to the House to join its companion bills in the Public Health Committee.

Before it passed out of the Senate, SB 188 picked up two more co-authors, Senators Hinojosa and West. Thank you Senators!

Last week Representative Garnet Coleman, Chair of the House Committee on County Affairs, filed HB 3707 relating to county-regulated disease control programs to reduce the risk of certain communicable diseases for certain counties. Thank you Chairman Coleman! Earlier today HB 3707 received its first reading in the house and was then referred to the Public Health Committee. Representative Ortiz, author of HB 272, is a joint author of the bill.

HB 3707 is very similar to the other disease control bills filed this session (SB 188, HB 142, & HB 272), with the main difference being that it would limit the counties that are eligible to establish programs to those with a population of more than 730,000. The legislation allows the county commissioner's courts in the six largest counties in Texas to approve the establishment of a syringe exchange program, and provides for a defense to prosecution for individuals participating in the programs.

To learn more about the benefits of syringe exchange programs please visit www.texasaccessproject.org.

Senate votes for allowing disease prevention programs

2009-03-18T22:29:00.001-05:00

Earlier this afternoon the committee substitute for Senate Bill 188 was taken up for consideration on the Senate floor and passed to engrossment by a vote of 23 yeas and 7 nays. This was the second reading of the bill, and a final vote should occur on Thursday.

Voting with the yeas were Senators Averitt, Carona, Davis, Deuell, Duncan, Ellis, Eltife, Gallegos, Harris, Hegar, Hinojosa, Lucio, Nelson, Nichols, Seliger, Shapleigh, Uresti, Van de Putte, Watson, Wentworth, West, Whitmire and Zaffirini.

Senators voting nay included Estes, Fraser, Huffman, Ogden, Patrick, Shapiro, and Williams. Senator Jackson was absent.

While laying out the bill Senator Deuell said that if this legislation becomes law it will save the state money without costing the state any money, and that countless studies have shown syringe exchange programs do not increase drug use.

Senator Wentworth pointed out that Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed, who blocked full implementation of the pilot syringe exchange program that passed last session, has advised his office that if this bill passes she will not prosecute people participating in the programs.

To watch the Senate consideration and vote on CSSB 188 visit the Senate RealMedia Video Archives page, scroll down and click on the March 18 Senate Session, and skip ahead to 2:07:20 into the video.

The Access Project would also like to take this opportunity to thank Senators Wentworth and Zaffirini, who each represent a portion of Bexar County, for signing on as co-authors of SB 188. Thank you!

Abilene Reporter News op-ed: It's time to consider needle exchange program

2009-03-16T16:07:00.002-05:00

Sunday's edition of the Abilene Reporter News featured an opinion piece on the benefits of allowing syringe/needle exchange programs in Texas. The author of the op-ed, Dr. William Martin, is a Senior Fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and an expert on the issue.

At the end of the piece, Dr. Martin addresses why he believes Texas has not already implemented such programs:

Given the overwhelming evidence, why have policymakers resisted establishment of such proven lifesaving programs? Why have politicians and platforms of both major parties repeatedly vowed, "Not a dime for needle exchange programs!"? The real reason may be fear that any sign of being "soft on drugs" will hurt their standing among people who have not looked at the issue. But the rationale most commonly, often honestly, offered is, "It sends the wrong message."

Before we accept that rationale, we need to think about the message we send to IDUs: "We know a way to dramatically cut your chances of contracting a deadly disease, then spreading it to others, including your unborn children. It would also dramatically cut the amount of money society will have to spend on you and those you infect. But because we believe what you are doing is illegal, immoral and sinful, we are not going to do what we know works. As upright, moral, sincerely religious people, we prefer that you and others in your social orbit die."

The Texas Legislature is considering a bill to permit needle exchange programs. No responsible person wants to encourage drug abuse. No fiscally prudent person wants to waste money simply to satisfy a sense of righteous indignation. No compassionate person wants to consign people unnecessarily to death or a living hell. Fortunately, providing injecting drugs users with access to sterile syringes allows us to be responsible, prudent and compassionate -- admirable criteria for good public policy.

To read more of Dr. Martins work on this subject visit http://www.bakerinstitute.org/programs/drug-policy

Senate Bill 188 vote correction and movement update

2009-03-12T12:36:00.002-05:00

Last week we let you know that the committee substitute for Senate Bill 188 was voted out of the Health and Human Services Committee on a vote of 5 to 1 with three senators absent. Now that the committee report is available we have learned that the three senators we listed as being absent actually submitted their votes by proxy, updating the final vote count to 7 to 2. Senators West and Zaffirini voted aye, and Senator Patrick voted nay.

Senate Bill 188 has been placed on the Senate Intent Calendar and could be voted on by the full Senate as early as next week.

Houston Chronicle and Associated Press focus the public on syringe access bill

2009-03-04T09:05:00.005-06:00

The Houston Chronicle published an Associated Press description of the syringe access issue and the Texas bill, "Senate panel OKs shield for needle exchange." Constable Jimmy Willburn, pictured here, traveled to Austin to testify in favor of saving the lives of our public servants. Here is an excerpt:

In written and vocal support on Tuesday, law enforcement and health practitioners said the proposed legislation would prevent the spread of disease among drug users and prevent spread to the families of drug users, children who find dirty needles and others who are stuck by dirty needles.
Also, retired Bexar County Constable Jimmy Wilborn told the committee on Tuesday that the legislation would lower the chances of police officers contracting disease from contaminated syringes.
“My partners were stuck with needles when we were executing search warrants. As a constable in Precinct 2, two of my people were stuck with needles,” he said. “The fact of the matter is, if these people are distributing these needles, it’s going to be better for the police officers because of one reason — because they are going to be exchanging these things.”
The Texas Department of State Health Services has predicted that 100 new cases of HIV could be prevented in the first year of implementing a needle-exchange program.
Texas is the only state that doesn’t allow syringe exchange programs of any kind.

Check it out, share it, digg it, spread it, email it to friends!

Syringe exchange bill approved and headed to the Senate floor

2009-03-03T18:19:00.009-06:00

The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services held a public hearing today and reported the committee substitute for Senate Bill 188 favorably from the committee on a vote of five ayes, one nay, with three senators absent. Voting in favor of CSSB 188 were Senator Nelson, Chair of the Committee, and Senators Deuell, Nichols, Shapleigh, and Uresti. Senator Huffman voted against and Senators Patrick, West and Zaffirini were absent.

Senator Deuell explained that his substitute language simply changes the exception to prosecution to a defense to prosecution and the substitute language exactly matches the bill the Senate passed in 2007.

Testifying in favor of the bill on behalf of the Texas Medical Association was Dr. Janet Realini, a family physician from San Antonio. Dr. Realini spoke about the medical evidence supporting the effectiveness of syringe exchange programs, and shared a moving story about having to tell one of her patients, a young mother of two she described as an innocent victim, that she tested positive for HIV. Dr. Realini implored the committee members to get the bill passed to help get injection drug users into treatment and keep them from infecting their families.

Next to testify was retired Bexar County Constable Jimmy Willborn, also a retired San Antonio police officer and former narcotics officer and supervisor. Constable Willborn said that while working in law enforcement some of his partners and employees, and EMS workers who he knew, were stuck with needles when they were executing search warrants and searching or helping individuals. He emphasized that syringe exchange programs will make it better for police officers because the programs will help decrease the chance of a disease being passed on to an officer.

Groups who registered in favor of SB 188 but did not testify include:
Texas Impact
ACLU of Texas
Texas Pediatric Society
Legacy Community Health Services
Scott & White Center for Healthcare Policy

To watch the hearing visit the Senate RealMedia Video Archives page on the Texas Senate website, and click on part two of the hearing on March 3. The fiscal note and bill analysis are available on Texas Legislature Online, but the Committee Substitute has not been posted as of this time.

Those who testified and registered in favor of CSSB 188, and of course those senators who voted in favor, have helped Texas move toward a sensible solution. When the federal government begins to fund syringe exchange programs, Texas should not be left out.

Learn more about the issue here.

Harris County Officials Discuss Syringe Access Legislation

2009-02-27T09:57:00.005-06:00

Officials representing the Harris County Commissioners' Court, Houston City Council, Houston Police Department, Harris County Hospital District, Harris County criminal courts, HIV service providers, and state level elected officials attended a luncheon yesterday at the United Way of Greater Houston to learn and share the latest information about syringe access programs and the pending Texas legislation.

Dr. William Martin, Senior Fellow for Drug Policy at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, and Randall Ellis, Senior Director for Government Relations at Legacy Community Health Services, each made excellent presentations. Attendees were able to ask questions and share the latest information and insights from their perspective.

Dr. Martin had some in tears as he gave us a metaphor for the current syringe access situation in Texas (it is currently a crime punishable by incarceration to give a drug user a clean syringe in Texas) through a story of two neighbors who met in Heaven:

One neighbor in Heaven said to the other: "You mean you knew about Him the whole time we lived next to one another but you never mentioned Him to me?"

Imagine yourself working in a health care facility, he said, and you are approached by an injection drug user who has contracted AIDS by using a dirty needle. The dying person looks into your eyes and says, "You mean you knew a simple way to prevent the spread of this disease that is killing me, and you never mentioned it to me?"

Distributing a clean needle to an injection drug user and offering her a bridge to recovery costs about 7 cents. Learn more here.

Senate Committee Could Vote on Syringe Access Bill Next Week

2009-02-27T08:28:00.005-06:00

Senator Deuell and Senator Van de Putte's syringe access bill, SB 188, is set to be heard by the Senate Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at 9:00 AM in the Texas capitol in the Senate Chamber. You can see the full text of the bill and its fiscal note here. Last session, this committee approved the bill by a vote of 7 to 1. If a majority of the committee members vote to approve the bill on Tuesday, it can be considered by the full Senate. Find names and contact information for the Senators who sit on the committee here.

Find legislative history and background information about syringe access in Texas here.

House Bills 142 & 272 gain new bi-partisan support

2009-02-25T15:53:00.002-06:00

Last week the Access Project let you know that Representative Joe Crabb signed on as a joint author of House Bill 272, by Representative Solomon Ortiz, Jr. Well today Representative Crabb demonstrated his support for disease prevention again by signing on as a joint author of House Bill 142, by Representative Ruth Jones McClendon. Thanks again Representative Crabb!

Disease prevention and outreach programs gained even more bi-partisan support today when Republican Representative Brian McCall, Chair of the House Committee on Calendars, signed on as a joint author of House Bill 272. Thanks so much Chairman McCall!

House Bill 272 is referred to committee & receives a new Joint Author

2009-02-17T15:30:00.001-06:00

Today House Bill 272, by Representative Solomon Ortiz, Jr., received its first reading and was then referred to the Committee on Public Health. I am also happy to report that last week Republican Representative Joe Crabb, Vice Chair of the Committee on Rules & Resolutions, signed on as a joint author of HB 272. Many thanks to Representative Crabb!

House Bill 142 referred to committee

2009-02-13T08:38:00.001-06:00

House Bill 142, by Representative Ruth Jones McClendon, received its first reading and was then referred to the Committee on Public Health.

President Obama Makes U.S. Support for Needle Exchange Official

2009-02-11T10:20:00.005-06:00

As reported by PRI The World, "In a significant break from both Mr. Bush and Bill Clinton before him, Barack Obama is making his support for needle exchange programs official."

The United States now officially acknowledges that our priority is to save lives and give our fellow human beings an opportunity to recover from addiction. This week the United States gave its negotiators at the United Nations summit new guidelines: "The US will endorse and support needle exchange programs."

The next logical step for the Obama administration will be to lift the federal ban on funding needle exchange programs, as promised during his campaign. This will allow all health institutions who receive federal funds to offer safe and clean needles to people so they can stop spreading deadly infections.

There is no better way to offer an opportunity to recover from addiction to an injection-drug user than when we have a chance to interact with them and show them how to care for their own health. Needle exchange programs are the number one path to recovery for these Texans.

Today, it is a crime in Texas to distribute clean needles - in fact, the Bexar County DA is currently trying to put an elder clergy member into jail as punishment. But the Texas legislature can change the law this session, bringing Texas into line with the rest of the world when it comes to compassion and saving human life. Get the latest updates on this blog and this site.

Senate Bill 188 referred to committee

2009-02-10T23:57:00.003-06:00

Senate Bill 188, by Senators Deuell and Van de Putte, received its first reading and was then referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services.

Dallas Morning News: Public Health Officials Must Take Steps to Curb HIV

2009-02-10T07:18:00.003-06:00

Thank you Dallas Morning News Editorial Columnist James Ragland for highlighting the harrowing statistics on HIV in Dallas. The disease is spinning out of control:

"Dallas County had the state's highest HIV rate in 2006 and 2007. More than 13,500 folks are living with HIV/AIDS in Dallas, a 35 percent increase in the last five years, according to a report by the county's Health and Human Services Department.
"The black community is really feeling the brunt of careless lifestyle choices: Black residents make up just 20 percent of the county's population, but they represented a whopping 46 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2007.

"Worse still, the infection rate among 13- to 24-year-olds nearly tripled over the last five years. That's a group we can least afford to have succumbing to a virulent disease, particularly when you consider the mounting costs of HIV care. We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars a year, most of which is coming out of the federal till."

He points out that, whatever our value system, public health officials must take advantage of simple prevention tools to stop the spread of the deadly infectious disease - especially when saving lives costs pennies:

"Make no mistake, my conservative religious cohorts are right on the mark when they argue that our fundamental challenge still is in overhauling the value systems of those who willingly or unwittingly put themselves in harm's way by sleeping around or sharing needles.

"But changing deep-rooted behaviors – an ongoing, epic battle whose end is nowhere in sight – is only part of the solution to this health crisis.

"It's also vitally incumbent upon public-health officials to do everything they can to control and curb a disease that poses a very tangible threat"

Visit this site for the latest, and sign up for free email updates, on what the Texas legislature is doing to prevent the spread of infectious disease.

Bush-era envoys to the UN blocking global promotion of syringe exchange

2009-02-02T11:05:00.004-06:00

An article in the Washington Independent last week examines how envoys to the United Nations who were appointed by the last administration are blocking global efforts to promote HIV/AIDS prevention programs. The article goes on to question the envoys actions considering the fact that President Obama has clearly stated his support for syringe exchange programs in the Civil Rights section of his Agenda.

According to the article several members of Congress are now getting involved.

The episode has attracted the attention of some congressional Democrats. In a Jan. 28 letter to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) cite “an apparent disconnect in U.S. policy” as it pertains to efforts to promote needle exchange to fight HIV/AIDS.
“We understand that the U.S. delegation in Vienna has been actively blocking the efforts of some of our closest allies — including the European Union — to incorporate in the declaration reference to harm reduction measures, such as needle exchange,” the Democrats wrote. They’re urging that the delegation “should immediately be given new instructions from the highest levels of the new Administration.”

If you want to let President Obama know how you feel about this situation you can visit the Contact Us page on WhiteHouse.gov.

Syringe exchange opponent lobbies in Texas from Florida

2009-01-30T02:58:00.003-06:00

Last Friday a staffer from a Texas House members office emailed me a fax and other materials the office received from the executive director of Florida based Save Our Society From Drugs, Calvina Fay. In the fax Ms. Fay states her strong opposition to syringe exchange programs and then lists several reasons for her opposition.

I decided to pass along Ms. Fay's fax and other materials to Dr. William Martin, an expert on syringe exchange programs, to see what he thought of her claims. Before the weekend was out Dr. Martin emailed me back with his response to Ms. Fay's fax, his response notably full of documentation where hers was lacking.

About her fax and other materials Dr. Martin said "As an advocate for NEPs, I am not surprised that Ms. Fay could not martial better arguments to support her opposition to these programs, since the evidence against her position is simply too strong. I am, however, somewhat surprised that she apparently assumed no one would examine her assertions and claims."

Well examine them he did! Check out Dr. Martins response to Calvina Fay and a copy of Ms. Fay's fax to decide for yourself who is being honest in there examination of this important public health option.

Videos from seminar on syringe exchange now online

2009-01-30T01:08:00.007-06:00

On December 9, 2008 the Bexar Area Harm Reduction Coalition hosted a seminar on syringe exchange programs in San Antonio. The seminar featured presentations by Dr. William Martin, Senior Fellow for Drug Policy at the Baker Institute, and Neel Lane, volunteer attorney for the Bexar Area Harm Reduction Coalition. The Access Project attended the seminar and filmed both presentations which are now available to view on our website.

Following is an interview with Charlene Doria-Ortiz, Community Health Program Manager for the Bexar County Department of Community Investment, filmed after the seminar ended. In the interview Charlene shares her perspective as the harm reduction coordinator for the pilot syringe exchange program in Bexar County.

New NEP Papers on the Baker Institute Website

2009-01-23T19:09:00.008-06:00

Dr. William Martin, Senior Fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, is an expert on needle exchange programs (NEP's). In a new paper posted on the Baker Institute website, Needle Exchange Programs: Sending the Right Message, Dr. Martin sites extensive research to outline why he believes NEP's are a proven method of reducing the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C without increasing drug use. As part of a set of policy recommendations the Baker Institute fellows prepared for President Obama, Dr. Martin has also prepared a paper addressing the removal of the ban on using federal funds for NEP's. To read the papers visit the Drug Policy link on the Baker Institute website, then scroll down to "Publications, 2009".

HRO calls syringe exchange key issue for the 81st legislature

2009-01-15T11:57:00.007-06:00

The Texas House Research Organization (HRO) identifies the biggest issues facing the Texas legislature before each session starts. The HRO calls needle-exchange one of the most important health and human services issues facing the legislature in 2009 (see page 11):

Lawmakers in 2007 approved a pilot needle- exchange program in Bexar County that was not implemented after an attorney general’s opinion indicated program participants could be subject to prosecution under drug paraphernalia laws. Lawmakers again may debate whether to permit anonymous needle exchange programs as a part of a disease prevention program as well as discuss the legal protections that should be afforded to program participants.

Learn more and get free email updates about this life-saving measure.

Federal Government May Fund Syringe Access

2009-01-08T22:46:00.009-06:00

President-Elect Barack Obama supports lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs - and our friends at the Harm Reduction Coalition let us know that Congressman Jose Serrano has already re-introduced HR 179, Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention (CAHP) Act of 2009, in the 111th Congress. HR 179, introduced Tuesday with 28 original co-sponsors, would eliminate laws which prevent federal funding from being used for syringe exchange.

The State of Texas won't be able to accept these life-saving federal funds unless the Texas legislature allows drug addicts to safely access clean needles and syringes. The legislative session, which happens once every two years in Texas, will begin next week.

What will it say about Texas if the federal government offers to pay to prevent these deadly diseases but the Texas legislature chooses to refuse the funds, more Texans become infected, and our district attorneys continue to criminally prosecute the Good Samaritans who try to save human life? We won't find ourselves in that position if our legislature shows compassion and allows clean, safe access this session.

Legislative briefing revealed strong bipartisan support for change

2009-01-07T16:58:00.010-06:00

Scot Kibbe, Senator Deuell's Legislative Director, spoke about SB 188. Senator Deuell filed the bill because he is compelled as a doctor to save lives, as a conservative to keep the government from getting in the way, and as a Christian to believe in the ability of people to change. Since the Senator has been championing clean and safe syringe access, he hasn't had one negative response from a constituent.

Janis Reinken, Representative McClendon's Chief of Staff, spoke about HB 142. She provided an update on the Bexar County pilot program authorized by the legislature last session but forbidden by District Attorney Susan Reed. Bexar County Commissioners unanimously authorized funding for the program but before they could implement the program, the District Attorney began prosecuting people and the syringe exchange portion of the program was cancelled. Both sides agree that they will look to the Texas legislature to clarify the law this session.

Will Krueger, from the Office of Representative Ortiz, spoke about HB 272 and the Representative's strong interest in treatment and recovery. His constituents want safe and legal syringe access programs, and Representative Ortiz wants to ensure the programs are offered in Spanish so each program can be as effective as possible within it's community.

Comprehensive legislative information packets were distributed to staff and agency representatives who attended. A fun time was had by all.

Syringe Access Staff Briefing Today

2009-01-07T09:55:00.002-06:00

Today from noon to 2pm, we will host a legislative staff briefing about syringe access in the Legislative Conference Center in room E2.002 at the Texas Capitol. We will focus on the 3 bills that have been filed so far. Top experts will make presentations and be available to answer questions. Lunch will be provided.

This is a great chance to find out what the bills are all about. If you are near the Capitol, please join us - all are welcome!

San Antonio AIDS Foundation urges Texas legislature to save lives and tax dollars

2009-01-06T16:04:00.003-06:00

The San Antonio AIDS Foundation has joined the growing list of organizations that support the safe and clean exchange of needles and syringes in Texas. Check out the organizations that support this life-saving measure on our new web site's supporter page.

We invite you to add your organization to the list. Please contact us if we can recognize your compassionate stance or provide additional information.

San Antonio Express News is right on point

2009-01-06T13:57:00.003-06:00

The San Antonio Express News Editorial Board has done its research - check out the editorial it published just before Christmas supporting the safe and legal exchange of clean needles and syringes in Texas:

"The simple truth about needle exchange programs is that they save lives and save money. .... Along with protecting law enforcement and health care workers who frequently come into physical contact with the IV drug using community, the case for needle exchange is overwhelming."

Check out all of the latest news coverage regarding needle exchange in Texas on our new web site Newsroom - we will be updating this site by the minute as things develop during the Texas legislative session this year.

2008-12-16T16:42:00.003-06:00

Update on Syringe Exchange Outreach Programs in Texas

Dear friend,

When the 81st Texas Legislature convenes in January, legislators from both sides of the aisle will support bills to reduce the spread of hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS by allowing local health authorities to implement syringe exchange outreach programs.

Bills have been filed by Senator Bob Deuell of Rockwall (Senate Bill 188), Representative Ruth McClendon of San Antonio (House Bill 142), and Representative Solomon Ortiz, Jr. of Corpus Christi (House Bill 272).

Needle exchange isn’t only about saving lives. The programs can save millions of dollars. Preventing HIV and hepatitis C costs taxpayers less than treating sufferers of these debilitating diseases. Although the state’s first pilot syringe exchange program in Bexar County was authorized by the Legislature during the last session, implementation has been blocked since January. Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed, based on her misguided interpretation of the law, threatens prosecution of health care providers who participate.

The thwarted pilot program was to serve as a model for the development of needle exchange programs in major cities around the state, a move strongly supported by the ACLU of Texas. (To learn more about needle exchange programs, visit www.TexasAccessProject.org)

Today in Texas more than 300,000 people are infected with hepatitis C, leading to chronic liver disease and death. More than 35 percent of those infected, including almost all infants with HIV, got sick because they or their parents shared dirty needles.

Local counties and hospital districts bear most of the treatment costs, which are difficult to quantify. Whatever the local expense, the state spends an additional $100 million annually to treat HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

During this time of fiscal crisis, a cost-effective syringe exchange program could save millions of tax dollars currently spent on expensive liver transplants, cancer- and HIV/AIDS-related treatments.

The ACLU Foundation of Texas has partnered with Capitol City Solutions to bring this issue to the attention of all concerned Texans.

We have launched a web site with the latest information on needle exchange advancements (www.TexasAccessProject.org).

Join with us. Let your state representative and senator know you support syringe exchange. Too many lives are at stake for us to be silent.

In liberty,

Terri Burke
Executive Director
ACLU Foundation of Texas

The Access Project is a project of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Texas.

SB 308 half way home, but more obstacles

2007-05-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

SB 308 passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee April 12th with 7 to 1. You can see what I wrote about it here. All the witnesses for the committee did an amazing job of providing the committee members the information they needed to become convinced that needle exchange is necessary in the combat against HIV and hepatitis C, and a valuable tool in reducing drug use. There was not a single person registered to testify in opposition of the bill. The only member to vote against the bill in committee was Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) . Senator Jane Nelson voted in favor of the bill after several sessions of active opposition, and we commend her for listening to the evidence and making the right decision. The hearing could not have gone any better.

The bill then passed the Senate floor with a 23-8 vote, which generated a great story from KVUE. Senator Deuell has been a great champion of this improtant piece of legislation, and most members of the Senate really stepped up to support his efforts this session making a great statement in favor of needle exchange. We encourage all of you to join us in our thanks to Senator Deuell and his staff for the amazing work they have put into this bill.

The news is not all good though, SB 308 must now get a hearing in the House Public Health Committee. Representative Delisi (R-Temple), Chair of Public Health has yet to show interest in scheduling a hearing for SB 308, and if she does not schedule a hearing by this week, the needle will sink back into the haystack.

Representative Delisi has been awarded volumes of honors for being a great legislator in the field of health care and public health, however that has not rung true in regards to needle exchange. We can only hope that she will examine the vast amounts of evidence in favor of needle exchange programs and make her decision based on testimony, as the Senate did just weeks ago.

Legislators Get the Point!

2007-01-29T10:02:00.000-06:00

by Chris Bernard

There is a bright and shiny light shining out from the Republican part of Texas. It must be the reflection of the syringe access bill that Senators Deuell (R-Greenville) and Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) joint-filed last week. SB 308 was accompanied by a stellar press release from Deuell's office which laid out their reasoning behind the bill:

Deuell Files Needle Exchange Bill
Doctor / Senator Says Program Will Save Lives and Money AUSTIN --
State Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) today filed SenateBill 308, relating to disease control programs aimed at reducing the risk of communicable diseases. A key component of the bill would allow local health authorities to set up programs that permit anonymous exchange of used hypodermic needles. Deuell, a practicing family physician, stated the program will save lives, save money and could actually help get drug abusers into rehabilitation and treatment.

Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio), a certified pharmacist, has signed on as a joint author. "I have seen extensive research that show programs like this reduce the spread of hepatitis and HIV, and do not encourage or increase the use of illegal drugs," Deuell said.
"On the fiscal side, the cost of treating a single HIV case run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars making this program cost-effective as well."

Deuell also said this initiative may have the added incentive of getting drug users into treatment. "The local health authorities who administer these programs may also provide drug counseling and treatment," Deuell said. "This might be the only time we can get to these people and give them the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves. One study showed more than 1,000 drug users found their way into treatment through a needle exchange program."

"As a physician and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I am confident these programs make sense from a medical and a fiscal standpoint," Deuell said. "I firmly believe this represents good,conservative public policy."

We want to congratulate the senators on this groundbreaking effort in the fight against HIV and other blood borne diseases in Texas. We also want to encourage our readers to contact Senators Deuell and Van de Putte and express their support. In addition, please contact your own Senators and Representatives and tell them to support SB 308 and it's House companion, HB 856, filed by Ruth McClendon(D- San Antonio)

We have already seen a great response on the left and the right sides of the blogosphere. Particularly this entry from the Lone Star Times is right on the money. Syringe exchange is good conservative policy and the "christian " thing to do.

One invisible beauty of this bill is that it will not require any spending money from the state, making the fiscal note on the bill a big zilch. And as a bill that seeks to remove penalties rather than mandate programs, cities and counties don't have to create syringe exchange programs if they don't think they need one. Under SB 308/HB 856, public health workers, outreach workers, faith based organizations have the option to use the most effective and least expensive means necessary to prevent HIV and outreach to injection drug users. Reduced HIV means the money saved in state health care costs, and with no investment, syringe exchange will yield high returns.

Texas: Ahead of the Curve in HIV/AIDS Rates, Lagging Behind in Policy

2007-01-08T11:08:00.000-06:00

By Chris Bernard

As a follow up to my previous post about New Jersey being the last state to provide syringe access, I decided to try to figure out exactly what states besides New Jersey are still preventing access to syringes for IDUs. Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, South Dakota and Kansas are really the only states left without any kind of legal access to syringes for IDUs. Out of these five states Texas is the only state that is over represented in the annual HIV infections, we represent approximately 7.7% of the U.S. population and approximately 10.3% of the annual HIV infections. Texas is in fact in the top ten for AIDS cases (fourth actually) as well and we are the only state in that top ten without legal syringe access.

The question we should all be asking ourselves is why? Why is a state that is over represented in every category of HIV/AIDS refusing to act on the recommendations given by the CDC, IOM, AMA, WHO, Surgeon General Satcher, almost every state level medical organization, and many others in a list too long to lay out, to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS? SEPs are and is shown to be cost effective, they even save money for the state! It is time we demand that our state legislators represent the interest of all Texans and allow SEPs to operate where health care providers deem them necessary to keep our fellow Texans alive until they are able to overcome their addictions.

Canadian Health Minister Deciding Fate of Vancouver Safe Injection Site

2007-01-05T10:16:00.000-06:00

Our northern neighbors, those crazy Canadians, have instituted a semi-experimental program (semi only because they are prevalent throughout Europe and Australia) which allows injection drug users to "shoot up" their own drugs in a facility staffed by addiction counselors, nurses and persons in recovery. This program, called InSite, has actually been in operation since 2003 when the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Police Department and various community groups asked the Canadian feds for an exemption to the controlled substances act. With the exemption granted, InSite opened it's doors and has since provided services to over 7000 people. The program has been examined intensely and has been showing that their services have reduced drug use, the harms associated with it, and cleaned up the streets. Here's an excerpt of some of the research results listed on their web site

Insite has been subject to rigorous, independent third party research and evaluation by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, recognized as one of the world’s leading research organizations. The Centre’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, and The Lancet.
Results include:

Insite is leading to increased uptake into detoxification programs and addiction treatment. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Insite has not led to an increase in drug-related crime, rates of arrest for drug trafficking, assaults and robbery were similar after the facility’s opening, and rates of vehicle break-ins/theft declined significantly. (Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy)
Insite has reduced the number of people injecting in public and the amount of injection-related litter in the downtown eastside. (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
Insite is attracting the highest-risk users – those more likely to be vulnerable to HIV infection and overdose, and who were contributing to problems of public drug use and unsafe syringe disposal. (American Journal of Preventive Medicine)
Insite has reduced overall rates of needle sharing in the community, and among those who used the supervised injection site for some, most or all of their injections, 70% were less likely to report syringe sharing. (The Lancet)
Nearly one-third of Insite users received information relating to safer injecting practices. Those who received help injecting from fellow injection drug users on the streets were more than twice as likely to have received safer injecting education at Insite. (The International Journal of Drug Policy)
Insite is not increasing rates of relapse among former drug users, nor is it a negative influence on those seeking to stop drug use. (British Medical Journal)

The security of the program has recently been threatened, since the newly elected more conservative government has taken over. In purely reactionary statements provided without research, Health Minister Tony Clement virtually vowed to ensure that the programs would not succeed. However, shortly after threatening closure, he had a change of heart and allowed them to continue operations until the conclusion of certain research activities, or December 2007, at which point he intends to reviews the science to determine whether safe injections sites help or hinder public health.

According to a Jan. 4 article in Canada.com, Clement paid a surprise visit to InSite this week, (his first visit to the facility in fact) in effort to actually learn about the clinic, its goals, achievements and day to day activities. A commendable move for a person ultimately in charge of Canada's health policies.

He defended the fact that he did not visit before making that ruling. 'It's important for me to accentuate that I am here now,'' he said

''I had a good chat with the staff there, understood some of their procedures, asked a lot of questions, got a lot of answers,''Clement said after his tour.

But he declined to say whether his views had changed.

''I think I am continuing to get a deeper understanding and this is all part of being the best health minister I can be for the country,''he said.

With safe injection sites, Vancouver health officials are meeting drug users where they are at, intervening in addiction before users hit rock bottom, and providing safe injection equipment so that recovery will be unimpeded by deadly diseases. I hope Minister Clement takes a good look at the research, and prioritizes good public health policy over continued anti-drug war rhetoric. Nobody wants to encourage addiction, and while this program may seem counter-intuitive, it works to usher addicts into treatment earlier than they would have gone on their own, and without the complication of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Major Combat is Not Complete

2007-01-03T14:39:00.000-06:00

by: Chris Bernard

While reading the many articles regarding New Jersey's newly passed syringe exchange bill my joy over the victory was mixed with frustration over a common misconception. One article read (Press of Atlantic City 12/20):

New Jersey became the last state in the nation to allow drug users access to clean needles without a prescription when Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed legislation Tuesday to allow pilot needle-exchange programs in as many as six cities.

I can tell you from my own work that Texas does not have, as of today, legal access to syringes for IDUs. This critical mistake is committed over and over again in the press. I am not accusing anyone of bad reporting, I think that this claim is simply based on a misinterpretation of a couple of well researched and peer reviewed published papers by the ABA and Temple University (see the explanation of legal analysis) regarding the legality of syringe access. This paper claims that there are legal technicality arguments for MD's to prescribe syringes to IDUs as preventative medicine, or some other possibly legal access. However the papers do not indicate what is practiced in given states or what would actually be accepted as legal in the courts.

The victory in New Jersey is not the final victory in the battle for syringe access. Texas does not yet have legal syringe exchange programs and purchasing needles in pharmacies is illegal if the pharmacist has any reason to believe her client will be injecting illicit substances. The legislative session will be starting in just a week, and with Senator Deuell filing a bill to allow for syringe access perhaps we will finally find the needle at the bottom of the haystack here in the heart of Texas.

A Tale of Two Syringe Policies

2006-12-07T12:53:00.000-06:00

What do Australia and Texas have in common? Quit a bit it seems, from the size of land to the size injection drug using populations. (est. 100,000) But one statistic they don't share is amount of persons living with HIV/AIDS . Australia has only 14,000 people living with HIV, while Texas rates are 4 times higher.

Why the difference? Because in Australia's effort to be intolerant of drugs never overshadowed the importance of public health and disease prevention. At the dawning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Australia implemented an extensive network of syringe exchange centers across the country as part of their "Tough on Drugs" campaign.

According to syringe exchange poopoonants, providing syringes to addicts would have resulted in elevated drug use, elevated crime, and a very confused population of children who would be 'lured into drug use' thorough the sheer existence of syringe exchange programs. But that is not what has happened. Australia has one of the lowest HIV/AIDS rates in the world, and while nothing to brag about, their IV drug using population is the same size as Texas', a state with out legal access to syringes.

So, what affect does syringe access have on the size of IDU populations? Apparently none.
What affect does a lack of syringe access have on IDU populations? Lots of AIDS and hep C.

Texas has the 4th highest HIV/AIDS rates in the country that boast having the highest HIV/AIDS rate out of all industrialized nations! And, over 400,000 Texans are infected with the deadly HCV virus. Hasn't anyone heard that our health care system is in crisis? These diseases are expensive and cost us around 100g's a pop. Last I heard, a syringe cost 7 cents.

For more information on Australia's successful SEP's, check out their 2002 report that details how many HIV and hepatitis C cases have been prevented, how much it cost the government, and how much money it saved them.

For information on Texas HIV/AIDS rates, check out the Department of State Health Services annual surveillance reports.

Be Aware

2006-11-30T14:49:00.000-06:00

....is what my friend Scott Henson says in his blog about National Meth Awareness day, which apparently is today. Before you head out to celebrate, check out his blog, and the link he included to Drug War Rant, which provides some basic facts about meth in America today. It's the holidays, time to get up to 'speed' (sorry) on your trivia, and check it out.

A more local approach towards meth awareness can start with the 2006 Report on Substance Abuse Trends in Texas. The report covers pretty much all drugs used illegally, including legal drugs like riddalin, alcohol, and cough medicine. Of the prohibited substances, the author Jane Carlisle Maxwell tells you where the goods are coming from, what it's typically made from (incase you were looking for recipies) and what you should expect to pay for it depending on what city you happen to be visiting.

She's also got a great graph on page 13 that demonstrates how Texans are finally starting to wise up when it comes to injecting the stuff. In the late 80's, over 80% of folks here were shooting meth, while only 1% were smoking it. In 2005, we see that the number of meth users poking themselves to get off decreased to 40%, while over 50% have taken to smoking it.

While I wouldn't recommend ever touching the stuff, it's good to know that people have chosen a method of delivery that is 'safer' than injection drug use. But at the same time, given the statistics provided in the report, injection is the second most common route Texans use to take meth, and that makes for quite a lot of people out there who are in need of clean needles.

Glossary of Popular Syringe Access Terms

2006-11-26T20:56:00.000-06:00

As with all specialized fields of study, drug policy discussions frequently include terminology not used in every day conversations. Here are some brief definitions of common terms used in syringe access dialogue.

Harm Reduction-Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies that reduce negative consequences of drug use, incorporating a spectrum of strategies from safer use, to managed use to abstinence.

Names for Syringe Access Programs
SEP- Syringe Exchange Program- A program that collects dirty syringes in exchange for sterile ones. SEP's often provide many other services such as disease testing, referrals to treatment and other risk reduction education. syn: NEP
NEP- Needle Exchange Program- syn: SEP, see above
Pharmaceutical Access- non-prescription sales of syringes in pharmacies

Names for Users of Drugs
IDU- Intravenous Drug User
Addict- A person who has developed a psychological or physical dependence on a substance.
User- A person who uses drugs but is not addicted.
Junkie- A person addicted to narcotic drugs, especially heroin

Diseases and Health Risks Related to Injection Drug Use
HIV- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
AIDS-Acquired Immune Difficiency Syndrom
HCV- Hepatitis C
HBV- Hepatitis B
HAV-Hepatits A
Addiction- The disease of psychological or physical dependence on a substance.
Cotton Fever- Cotton fever is believed to be caused by the Enterobacter agglomerans bacterium, which colonizes cotton plants. IDU's elevate their chances of contracting cotton fever when using short strand cotton (cigarette filters, cotton balls, etc) as opposed to long strand cotton.
OD- Overose. Overdose is the poisoning of a persons body that occurs when a drug is ingested in too large of a quantity, causing severe illness or death.

Risk Reduction Drugs and Practices
Buprenorphine- An opioid drug used primarily in the relief of pain associated with drug addiction withdrawl and treatment.
Naloxone- A drug that instantly reverses the respiratory depression associated with opiate overdose, often used to save lives of those who OD on opiates. Does not work for non-opiate OD's.
Methadone- A simple synthetic opioid often used in the detoxification and treatment of people with addiciton to narcotics. Also used in treatment of chronic pain.
Safe Injection- Eliminating as many risks as possible to make injection drug use survivable. Example: never use alone, one sterile needle per person, used one time only, rotate injeciton site on body to save veins, ect.

7.7 BILLION DOLLAR VICTORY

2006-11-13T20:53:00.000-06:00

Last week, St. Vincents Hospital in Darlinghurst Australia celebrated 20 years of providing sterile syringes to injection drug users, and they have a lot to celebrate. In 1986, one young and daring doctor, Dr. Alex Wodak, acted according to his medical ethics and against Australian drug policies, and began distributing sterile syringes to injection drug users using money collected in a hat that was passed among clinic staff. Alex challanged law enforcement with medical redommendations, and "It was a gamble that paid off" according to the Sydney Morning Herald (Nov 13),

By 2000, needle and syringe programs around Australia had prevented an estimated 25,000 HIV infections and 21,000 hepatitis C infections and saved the country as much as $7.7 billion in health costs.

Since the late 80's, the Australian government has incorporated harm reduction principles into their "Tough on Drugs" campaign and designated 860 locations where needle and syringe programs provide syringes and drug treatment services to addicts. By acting upon the recommendations of doctors rather than anti-drug laws, Australia prioritized disease prevention and they succeeded.

By contrast, the US authorities deciede it would be best to use HIV/AIDS as a deterrent to drug users. The result?

..the US has the highest AIDS incidence in the industrialised world, and 36 per cent of new HIV cases are injecting drug users, compared with less than 5 per cent in Australia.

Good for you Australia. And for my native country, shame, shame, shame.....

RIM JOB

2006-11-01T20:27:00.000-06:00

The New Jersey Senate comittee finally passed a bill allowing for the legal operation of syringe exchange programs in the state. Great progress, now it just has to get voted off off the Senate floor to become a reality.

While most New Jersey residents understand the science supporting the programs, the Family Policy Council still persists with invalid and uniformed protests, reported the Cherry Hill Courier Post ("Needle exchange bill moves forward," Oct. 20).

Won Kyu Rim of the New Jersey Family Policy Council said that although he and the supporters of the bill shared the goal of stopping the spread of the disease, their solutions differed.

"We should be going with the programs that are proven to work, not a pilot program where the results are ambiguous," said Rim. "The best way to use the state's money is to allocate it toward established treatment programs, not to mush them all together."

The most interesting thing about Rim's comments is that NEP's are proven to work, with results that are easy to interpret: reduced blood born disease, reduced needle litter on the street and no increase in drug use. They also tend to pull addicts into treatment pretty regularly. In fact, the only reason NEP's are even being proposed in the form of pilot programs is to combat the irrational fear of increased drug use that folks like the Family Council have created.

New Jersey has the fifth highest HIV rate in the nation, and nearly 50 percent of those infections were caused from used of infected needles. Seventy percent of newborns infected with HIV get it because their parents had used shared needles. Sounds to me like pilot program or not, New Jersey needs clean needles.

Welcome to the Haystack

2006-10-08T21:43:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Haystack- thanks for checking it out. This blog is under construction, but hope to have it up and running by Novemeber 1. Please check back in with us then.

Until then, if you have pressing questions about syringe access, contact Tracey Hayes at thayes@aclutx.org, and I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have about the topic.