Case Study: Vancouver Injection Drug User Study

A safe injection site (SIS) has been placed in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside where drug use is a challenging problem. The program is a vital piece of the cities known harm reduction approach to its serious problems with homelessness, drugs, crime and AIDS. Canada has drastically shifted its method. Going from punishing drug users to establishing the plan of harm reduction. Since 2003 when the supervised SIS opened, it has presented a safe health-focused center where drug users have access to inject illegal drugs using sterile equipment in a clean environment under the supervision of medically trained professionals. Although there are some serious concerns about the

This literature review will focus mainly on the drug use of heroin, the scary numbers behind the drug and the sudden rise of overdosing on the drug across the United States. Issues that will be discussed are what is Heroin, what’s in Heroin that makes it addicting, how it can increase the users risk of contracting other life threatening diseases and where it’s use and abuse are most popular across the United states and we will take a look at multiple studies that show examples of our new drug problem in the United States. While we looked at how homicide rates have dropped while in class, the flip side to that is that the amount of drug usage has risen.

Shockingly, the state of Vermont has become one of the heroin capitals in the United States (Tron, 2014). According to Vermont Governor Pete Shumlin, roughly two millions dollars worth of heroin comes into the state every week (Tron, 2014). Nearly 80 percent of Vermont’s inmate population is behind bars for drug related crimes (Tron, 2014). Since major interstate roads flow through Vermont, such as Boston and New York City, it makes it easy for drug traffickers to move heroin into Vermont (Tron, 2014). In 2013, the number of heroin related deaths doubled in Vermont, and the amount of individuals getting treated for opiate abuse increased by 770 percent between 2000 and 2014 (Tron, 2014). The drug heroin has taken the lives of many Vermonters,

Harm reduction can be defined as an approach that aims to reduce the consequences of high risk behaviours such as injection drug use on the individual and on society as a whole. Harm reduction programs provide injection drug users with access to a clean injection environment, sterile injections, drug-preparation equipment and safe disposal of contaminated material at the time of injection. Staff members in harm reduction facilities provide health teaching, anonymous HIV testing, information on addiction treatment, condoms and assist in connecting clients to social and health services (Semaan et al., 2011; Ball, 2007). Although, the benefits of harm reduction are evident through reduction of accidental drug overdose and prevention of

Harm reduction is a non-judgmental and practical approach to prevent HIV/HCV seroconversions, overdose, death, and decrease adverse effects on self and community (NPNU Initiative, 2007). Successful prison harm reduction programs frequently include pharmacotherapy, which plays a key role in helping with withdrawal symptoms and relapse prevention. Numerous studies on the effectiveness of opioid maintenance treatments (OMT) such as methadone, buprenorphine, levo-alpha acetyl methadol (LAAM) and buprenorphine-naloxone have proven that the benefits of OMT pre-release are similar to community treatment (Hedrich et al. 2012). A substantial reduction in prison drug use was shown on studies reporting illicit opioid use, and the studies that compared OMT to no OMT during incarceration shown impressively large differences (Hedrich et al. 2012). The studies which reported drug injection activity found a considerable reduction in injecting and syringe sharing (Hedrich et al, 2012). An Australian OMT study measuring HIV/HCV seroconversion resulted in no HIV seroconversions during incarceration, with both the control group and treatment groups having a high HCV risk dominance with equivalent seroconversions in both groups. Dolan et al. (1998, 1996) determined a reduction in risk behaviors for continuous high dose (>60mg.) therapy versus limited low dose therapy. A 2001 Canadian study measuring inmate transgressions reported drug violations in prison shrank in the OMT group, while it amplified in the control group (Hedrich et al.

This case study is based on results obtained from the public injecting site in the urban location of Sydney’s Kings Cross between 1998 and 2010. In exposing and analysing the history behind the initiative of the NSW Governments harm minimisation program of ‘Medically Supervised Injecting Centres’ (MSIC). This paper offers a snapshot into the public policy and responses associated with public injecting and metanarrative directions of the program management and evaluation methods that were applied to how this program unfolded.

Health Professionals: From a health professionals’ perspective, there has been significant support for InSite and its harm reduction approach. Interveners in support of a case that went before the Supreme Court of Canada included :

Several studies have shown that injection drug users lower their risk of transmitting infectious diseases when there is a needle exchange program available. There has not been a valid study of whether or not the amounts of time needles are returned to the exchange programs are harmful to communities. The Journal of Public Health, conducted surveys, evidence from needle exchange sites, jails, and institutions that needle exchange programs are effective in reducing illnesses such as HIV and AIDS (Burt & Theide, 2016). Furthermore, Reepalu, Blome, Bjork, Widell, & Bjorkman (2012), researched the same individuals for 20 years, with no breaks. Their studies concluded that injection drug use, not only heightens the risk for HIV and AID’s, there is also an increase in Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. However, there studies showed that there is not an increase rate of cancer diagnoses due to injection drug use. In a study conducted by Bonar and Rosenberg (2014), they wanted to see if self-initiated harm strategies, such as: proper needle sterilization techniques, proper disposal of needles, and cleaning of the pre injected skin, could help improve the health of those that use drugs intravenously. Their study was conducted over an eight-month period, results showed that their

Most of the currently operating prison needle exchange programs around the world began with pilot studies and had systematic evaluations of their effects done after one or two years (Meulen & Ka Hon Chu, 2015). The framework of this pilot program is modeled based on these programs that have been successfully used in other countries. This pilot phase will be for a

Audience Relevence: It is important to be aware of how our countries correctional system is run and why it is not very efficent. We are the future of this country and if we are informed on what needs to be fixed we can ensure that our generation does a better job.

There are many ways in which people who are addicted to intravenous drugs are perceived by our society. People sometimes believe the addicted person is to blame for their circumstance and substance dependence and some feel serious drug addicts are a “lost cause” due to a lack of values or flawed character. “Persons who struggle with addictions often are depicted as criminals or prostitutes, weak, lazy and morally corrupt” (Bartlett, R., Brown, L., Shattell, M., Wright, T., Lewallen, L. (2013). These stereotypes paint people with addiction negatively; a percentage of people who live with serious addiction are capable of recovery with the right attitude, support and healthcare. Street level healthcare services such as; safe injection sites, provide accessable resources at street level for people to make the choice to live healthier lifestyles. Govement funding and support is needed to make these projects possible to improve the health of Canadians. Safe injection sites are proven to be positive contributions to communities, save lives, reduce harm and open doors towards recovery for people from the grip of addiction.

The topic that I chose to research for my proposal is health care in the prison system. This is something that can vary drastically depending different details such as the specific prison, the management of the prison, as well as the needs of the inmates that could change for various reasons. It is generally believed that the health care that is available to inmates in both emergency situations as well as day-to-day medical needs is lacking compared to the health care that is available to the general public. The reasoning behind the quality of health care in the prison system can also be attributed to many different aspects such as an increase in inmates within the prison system, an increase in privately operated prisons that seek to make a profit, and the population of the prison system changing. There is now an increase in the elderly being incarcerated due to there being longer sentences which leads to there being an increase in age related health concerns that need to be taken care of within this growing population.

study on 548 men at Durham prison in Elvet, England. All of these men were

At one point in time the high percentage of men and women who are drug

Medical problems are recognized as issues with health, dental, psychological, injury, and other ailments of the human body. Inmate access to adequate medical care is sometimes unavailable and because of this, chronic and viral illnesses run rampant within the U.S. prison system. Based on a survey of inmates during 2004, a variety of information has been made available regarding inmate medical and health issues which can be used to make inferences and develop solutions to the prison healthcare system in the United States.