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Grisamore SP, DeMatteo D. Overcoming stigma: Community support for overdose prevention sites. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2024; 127:104415. [PMID: 38593517 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Overdose prevention sites (OPS) are beginning to be examined for their feasibility of implementation in the United States to curb the fatality of overdoses. Support for these sites varies greatly and can impact local policy, implementation, and the long-term viability of such programs. This study examined two communications strategies - research and anecdotal evidence - and their effect on public support for an OPS. One group (n= 106) was presented with a summary of research evidence for the efficacy of implementing an OPS in their community. The other group (n= 109) received similar information framed as personal anecdotes from people who use drugs (PWUD), people who work with PWUD, and community members of neighborhoods with an OPS. Communicating the efficacy of OPS as research evidence was associated with increased support for implementation and a decreased belief that an OPS will attract crime. Lower stigma towards PWUD was also associated with increased support. However, neither condition was associated with changes in stigma towards PWUD. Jurisdictions implementing OPS should utilize research evidence in communicating the program proposal to the public. Further research is needed regarding best practices for reducing stigma towards PWUD and the subsequent support for the implementation of an OPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone P Grisamore
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, United States.
| | - David DeMatteo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, United States; Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Drexel University, United States
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Johnston JB, Thompson KA. The name and frame matters when it comes to public support of opioid prevention programs. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2024; 123:104282. [PMID: 38070446 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid overdose is the second leading cause of accidental death. Safe Consumption Sites (SCSs) are very effective harm reduction, but skepticism persists in the U.S. In four U.S. states, legislative attempts failed, except for Rhode Island's "Harm Reduction Center," (HRC), and New York City's "Overdose Prevention Centers" (OPP). METHODS We hypothesized that compassion naming and framing would rate higher than safety/security or just-the-facts framing. Our mixed methods design included focus groups and a randomized experiment with an online panel of representative U.S. adults. All rated the title, description, and two or more images related to the program. Focus groups discussed impressions. RESULTS Of four packets seen (SCS, OPP, HRC, and SIF), OPP was the clear favorite in both studies. Unexpectedly, offering facts and statistics improved favorability. Compassionate language was a primary driver of favorability, followed by life-saving medical messaging. Imagery of people helping and smiling was liked best. Focus groups' primary concern was about "their backyards," but also, they desired to save lives and reduce suffering. CONCLUSION Stigma drove opposition to SCSs, as did conservative political affiliation. We provide finalized marketing packets which will reduce stigma and generate public support for SCSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer B Johnston
- Western New Mexico University, Department of Behavioral Science, P.O. Box 680, Silver City, NM 88061 United States.
| | - Kaya A Thompson
- Western New Mexico University, Department of Behavioral Science, P.O. Box 680, Silver City, NM 88061 United States
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Eshrati S, Saberizafarghandi M, Vameghi M, Arezoomandan R, Ranjbar H, Clausen T, Waal H. Main problems experienced by the neighbors of open drug scenes, Tehran, Iran: a mixed-method study. Harm Reduct J 2023; 20:148. [PMID: 37845767 PMCID: PMC10578028 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-023-00880-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite law enforcement and health interventions, open drug scenes have led to problems in many countries. The problems are, however, insufficiently explored. There are different types of drug scenes in Iran. This study aimed to explore the issues related to neighbors of one of the drug scenes in Tehran known as Farahzad. METHODS Data were generated via semi-structured interviews in the first step of the current mixed-method study (2020-2021). Interviewees were people who use drugs (PWUDs), residents and business owners (N = 25). In the next step, a quantitative observation was conducted for eight days. The results were analyzed using conventional content analysis and descriptive statistics. RESULTS The perceived problems were ambivalent attitudes about drug scene-related activities, violate of the territory of the self of the effected residents, and everyday concerns. The observation results indicated that men who use drugs are involved in drug scene-related activities more than women are. PWUDs try to hide their activities from the public view. Their efforts were considered "self-regulatory strategies" in the drug scene. CONCLUSIONS Despite efforts of PWUDs to keep their activities invisible, drug scene-related issues are intolerable for neighbors. Neighbors and PWUDs have ambivalent attitudes. While they are concerned about the human rights of each other, drug scene-related activities have disturbed the neighbor's daily life and economic activities. Although law enforcement and harm reduction interventions reduce some of the problems, one of the approaches should be improving the coexistence between the neighbors and the residents of the drug scene to achieve broader and more sustainable compromises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Eshrati
- Department of Addiction, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Mansouri St, Niayesh St, Sattarkhan Ave, Tehran, Iran
| | - MohammadBagher Saberizafarghandi
- Department of Addiction, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Mansouri St, Niayesh St, Sattarkhan Ave, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Meroe Vameghi
- Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Arezoomandan
- Department of Addiction, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Mansouri St, Niayesh St, Sattarkhan Ave, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hadi Ranjbar
- Mental Health Research Center, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Thomas Clausen
- Norwegian Center for Addiction Research (SERAF), Institution of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Kirkveien 166, Bygg 45, 0450, Oslo, Norway
| | - Helge Waal
- Norwegian Center for Addiction Research (SERAF), Institution of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Kirkveien 166, Bygg 45, 0450, Oslo, Norway
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McIntosh A, Anguelovski I, Cole H. "The trauma machine expands faster than our services": Health risks for unhoused people in an early-stage gentrifying area. Health Place 2023; 83:103035. [PMID: 37331113 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
While homelessness continues to be a prevalent problem throughout the United States, many urban neighborhoods are also concurrently experiencing an influx of affluent neighbors through gentrification, exposing the stark inequalities in housing access nationwide. Gentrification-induced changes in neighborhood dynamics have also been shown to affect the health of low-income and non-white groups, with high risks of trauma from displacement and exposure to violent crime and criminalization. This study addresses risk factors for health among the most vulnerable, unhoused individuals, and provides a detailed case study on the potential exposures to emotional and physical traumas for unhoused people in early-stage gentrifying areas. By conducting 17 semi-structured interviews with people who work with the unhoused community - health providers, nonprofit employees, neighborhood representatives, and developers - in Kensington, Philadelphia, we analyze how early-stage gentrification impacts the risks for negative health consequences among unhoused groups. Results show that gentrification impacts the health of unhoused people in four main areas that, all together, create what we identify as a "trauma machine" - that is compounding traumas for unhoused residents by 1) reducing and compromising spaces of safety from violent crime, 2) decreasing public services, 3) threatening the quality of healthcare, and 4) increasing the likelihood of displacement and associated trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea McIntosh
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Plaça Cívica, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Institu de Ciència I Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Edifici ICTA-ICP, Carrer de Les Columnes S/n, Campus de La UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola Del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Isabelle Anguelovski
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Plaça Cívica, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Institu de Ciència I Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Edifici ICTA-ICP, Carrer de Les Columnes S/n, Campus de La UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola Del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Institución Catalana de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Helen Cole
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Plaça Cívica, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Institu de Ciència I Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Edifici ICTA-ICP, Carrer de Les Columnes S/n, Campus de La UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola Del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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Unachukwu IC, Abrams MP, Dolan A, Oyekemi K, Meisel ZF, South EC, Aronowitz SV. "The new normal has become a nonstop crisis": a qualitative study of burnout among Philadelphia's harm reduction and substance use disorder treatment workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Harm Reduct J 2023; 20:32. [PMID: 36906576 PMCID: PMC10008076 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-023-00752-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States (US) and caused significant mental health strain and burnout among health care workers (HCW). Harm reduction, overdose prevention, and substance use disorder (SUD) workers may be especially impacted due to underfunding, resources shortages, and chaotic working environments. Existing research on HCW burnout primarily focuses on licensed HCWs in traditional environments and fails to account for the unique experiences of harm reduction workers, community organizers, and SUD treatment clinicians. METHODS We conducted a qualitative secondary analysis descriptive study of 30 Philadelphia-based harm reduction workers, community organizers, and SUD treatment clinicians about their experiences working in their roles during the COVID-19 pandemic in July-August 2020. Our analysis was guided by Shanafelt and Noseworthy's model of key drivers of burnout and engagement. We aimed to assess the applicability of this model to the experiences of SUD and harm reduction workers in non-traditional settings. RESULTS We deductively coded our data in alignment with Shanafelt and Noseworthy's key drivers of burnout and engagement: (1) workload and job demands, (2) meaning in work, (3) control and flexibility, (4) work-life integration, (5) organizational culture and values, (6) efficiency and resources and (7) social support and community at work. While Shanafelt and Noseworthy's model broadly encompassed the experiences of our participants, it did not fully account for their concerns about safety at work, lack of control over the work environment, and experiences of task-shifting. CONCLUSIONS Burnout among healthcare providers is receiving increasing attention nationally. Much of this coverage and the existing research have focused on workers in traditional healthcare spaces and often do not consider the experiences of community-based SUD treatment, overdose prevention, and harm reduction providers. Our findings indicate a gap in existing frameworks for burnout and a need for models that encompass the full range of the harm reduction, overdose prevention, and SUD treatment workforce. As the US overdose crisis continues, it is vital that we address and mitigate experiences of burnout among harm reduction workers, community organizers, and SUD treatment clinicians to protect their wellbeing and to ensure the sustainability of their invaluable work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ijeoma C Unachukwu
- Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. .,Urban Health Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Matthew P Abrams
- Center for Emergency Care Policy and Research, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Abby Dolan
- Center for Emergency Care Policy and Research, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kehinde Oyekemi
- Urban Health Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zachary F Meisel
- Center for Emergency Care Policy and Research, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Eugenia C South
- Urban Health Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Berrigan P, Zucchelli E. Public preferences for safe consumption sites for opioid use: A discrete choice experiment. Drug Alcohol Depend 2022; 238:109578. [PMID: 35933890 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Safe consumption sites provide people who use drugs with medical supervision and sterile paraphernalia for drug use. Although the presence of sites in neighborhoods can be controversial, few studies have assessed the preferences of individuals for attributes of safe consumption sites. METHODS A discrete choice experiment was conducted to assess public preferences for safe consumption sites. Logit and mixed logit models were used to analyze data. Participants were recruited from Conjointly.com using a sample of the general population in Canada. The sample included adults only, was split approximately evenly by gender, and reflects census data for household income and geographic area. Attributes included: cost of the site to the healthcare system; effectiveness of the site in reducing overdose death; financial compensation to residents if a site opens in their neighborhood; if the site is located in the respondent's neighborhood; and if the site reduces improperly discarded needles. RESULTS The sample consisted of 203 respondents. Respondents had negative preferences for sites that increased cost to the healthcare system. Conversely, they had positive preferences for sites that would reduce fatal overdoses, that could reduce improperly discarded needles, and sites that provided compensation to those impacted by the establishment of sites. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that there exist a set of attributes that influence respondents' preferences for safe consumption sites. By considering these attributes when designing sites and developing messaging for sites, decision-makers may develop sites that are potentially less controversial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Berrigan
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, 46 Bardsea, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YG, United Kingdom.
| | - Eugenio Zucchelli
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, 46 Bardsea, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YG, United Kingdom; Madrid Institute for Advanced Study, Casa de Velázquez, Ciudad Universitaria, C/ de Paul Guinard, 3E - 28040 Madrid, Spain; Department of Economic Analysis, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Francisco Tomás y Valiente 5, 28049 Madrid, Spain; IZA Institute of Labor Economics. Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), Schaumburg-Lippe-Straße 5-9, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
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Sherman SG, Rouhani S, White RH, Weicker N, Morris M, Schneider K, Park JN, Barry C. Acceptability of Overdose Prevention Sites in the Business Community in Baltimore, Maryland. J Urban Health 2022; 99:723-732. [PMID: 35610474 PMCID: PMC9129898 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-022-00647-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Intervetions are urgently needed to reduce the trajectory of the US opioid overdose epidemic, yet implementation is often hampered by resistance or opposition from key community stakeholders. While businesses are economically and physically impacted by the opioid epidemic, they are rarely engaged in efforts to reduce its impact. The establishment of overdose prevention sites (OPS) is being discussed throughout many US jurisdictions with limited attention to the potential positive role of businesses in that process. We surveyed business owners and employees of businesses located in neighborhoods with concentrated drug markets. The study's primary aim was to examine their attitudes to locally-placed OPS. An iterative, two-phase sampling strategy was used to identify recruitment zones. In person (December 2019-March 2020) and telephone-based (April-July 2020) surveys were administered to distinct business owners and employees (N = 149). Sixty-five percent of participants supported OPS in their neighborhood and 47% had recently witnessed an overdose in or around their workplace. While 70% had heard of naloxone, and 38% reported having it on the premises. Correlates of supporting an OPS locally included living in the same neighborhood as work (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.99, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.30-3.05); having a more positive attitude towards people who use drugs (aOR 1.33, 95% CI: 1.13-1.58); and having recently seen an overdose in/around the workplace (aOR 2.86, 95% CI: 1.11-7.32). Lack of support being an owner (aOR 0.35, 95% CI: 0.15-0.83). These data indicate the extent to which businesses are directly impacted by the opioid epidemic and the power of personal experience in shaping OPS support in advocacy efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan G Sherman
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Saba Rouhani
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rebecca Hamilton White
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Noelle Weicker
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Miles Morris
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kristin Schneider
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ju Nyeong Park
- Alpert Medical School, Brown University Division of General Internal Medicine, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Colleen Barry
- Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell University, Ithica, NY, USA
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Uzwiak BA. Framing Kin Resistance to Opioid Overdose in Philadelphia. Med Anthropol 2022; 41:329-341. [PMID: 35244500 DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2022.2032043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Interviews with close kin of those who died from opioid overdose in Philadelphia in 2017 reveal myriad strategies that families employ to minimize overdose risk, secure treatment options, and mitigate everyday precarity that can result from heroin addiction. Their efforts to keep kin alive - at times contradictory, conflicted, desperate and, in the end, ineffectual - reveal deeply situated structural vulnerabilities. When understood as "resistance" to death, however, kin strategies return us to a vital tenet of harm reduction - the imperative to develop programs in collaboration with those most impacted, in this case families at risk of overdose fatality.
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Saberi Zafarghandi MB, Eshrati S, Rashedi V, Vameghi M, Arezoomandan R, Clausen T, Waal H. Indicators of Drug-Related Community Impacts of Open Drug Scenes: A Scoping Review. Eur Addict Res 2022; 28:87-102. [PMID: 34794145 DOI: 10.1159/000519886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Places where people deal and/or use drugs publicly are known as open drug scenes (ODSs). Drug-related community impacts (DRCIs) refer to drug-related issues that negatively influence public and individual health, communities, businesses, and recreational and public space enjoyment. There are no well-established criteria for identification of DRCIs. We therefore performed a scoping review of literature to determine DRCIs indicators associated with ODSs. METHODS The review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScP). We searched English articles in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases from 1990 to 2021. The keywords were drug-related crime, drug-related offense, misconduct, social marginalization, homeless drug users, open drug scene, drug-related street disorder, public nuisance, and community impact. RESULTS Sixty-four studies were identified. Twenty-five studies were included. Two studies (8%) were about drug-related public nuisance, 1 (4%) considered drug-related social problems, 2 (8%) focused on drug-related social disorder, and 18 studies (72%) discussed indicators of community impacts such as crime, drug-related litter, safety, noise, and drug use in public. Two studies (8%) included the frequency of drug use in ODSs. DISCUSSION DRCI indicators are heterogenic, and various factors affect the indicators. The factors include social mores, political discourse, and historical approaches to dealing with and using drugs. Some societies do not tolerate the existence of ODSs. In contrast, many countries have adopted harm reduction programs to manage DRCIs. Identified DRCI indicators were drug using and dealing in public, drug-related litter, crime, drug-related loitering, street-based income generation activities, noise, and unsafety feelings in inhabitants. To solve the problems associated with DRCIs and to make a major change in ODSs, it is necessary to pay attention to the improvement of the economic conditions (e.g., employment opportunities), amendment (e.g., determine the limits of criminalization in drug use), and adoption of social policies (e.g., providing low-threshold and supportive services for homeless drug users).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Bagher Saberi Zafarghandi
- Addiction Department, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sahar Eshrati
- Addiction Department, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahid Rashedi
- School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Meroe Vameghi
- Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Arezoomandan
- Addiction Department, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Thomas Clausen
- Norwegian Center for Addiction Research (SERAF), Institution of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Helge Waal
- Norwegian Center for Addiction Research (SERAF), Institution of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Sherman SG, Tomko C, Silberzahn BE, White RH, Nestadt DF, Clouse E, Haney K, Galai N. The role of local business employees and community members in the HIV risk environment of female sex workers in an urban setting: associations between negative interactions and inconsistent condom use. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:2265. [PMID: 34895195 PMCID: PMC8666055 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12293-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The role of business employees and community members in the HIV risk environment of female sex workers (FSW) is underexplored, despite sex work often located in commercial and residential urban areas. We explored the effect of negative interactions between business employees and community members on inconsistent condom use with clients of female sex workers. Methods This study uses baseline data from the EMERALD study, a community empowerment intervention with FSW. We recruited a sample of 361 FSW in Baltimore, Maryland using targeted sampling techniques in ten zones characterized by high rates of sex work, located throughout the city. Participants were recruited between September 2017 and January 2019 and completed a survey, HIV rapid testing, and self-administered gonorrhea and chlamydia testing. The outcome, inconsistent condom use, was defined as not reporting “always” using condoms with paying clients. Poisson regressions with robust variance were used to model the effect of business employee and/or community member interactions on inconsistent condom use. Results Over half (54%) the sample was between 18 and 40 years old, 44% Black or another race, and experienced a range of structural vulnerabilities such as housing instability and food insecurity. Forty-four percent of the sample reported inconsistent condom use with clients. FSW reported being reported to the police weekly or daily for selling drugs (14% by employees, 17% by community), for selling sex (19% by employees, 21% by community), and experiencing weekly or daily verbal or physical threats (18% by employees, 24% by community). In multivariable models, being reported to the police for selling sex weekly or daily by community members (vs. never, aRR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.86) and business owners (vs. never, aRR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.76) increased risk of inconsistent condom use, as did monthly verbal or physical threats by community members (vs. never, aRR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.91). Conclusions Results show that both actors play important roles in FSWs’ HIV risk environment. Businesses and community members are important targets for holistic HIV prevention interventions among FSW in communities where they coexist in close proximity. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-12293-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan G Sherman
- Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway St., Hampton House 180, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Catherine Tomko
- Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway St., Hampton House 180, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Bradley E Silberzahn
- Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin, 305 E 23rd St, A1700, RLP 3.306, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Rebecca Hamilton White
- Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway St., Hampton House 180, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Danielle Friedman Nestadt
- Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway St., Hampton House 180, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Emily Clouse
- Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway St., Hampton House 180, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Katherine Haney
- Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway St., Hampton House 180, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Noya Galai
- Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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Yedinak JL, Li Y, Krieger MS, Howe K, Ndoye CD, Lee H, Civitarese AM, Marak T, Nelson E, Samuels EA, Chan PA, Bertrand T, Marshall BDL. Machine learning takes a village: Assessing neighbourhood-level vulnerability for an overdose and infectious disease outbreak. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2021; 96:103395. [PMID: 34344539 PMCID: PMC8568646 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple areas in the United States of America (USA) are experiencing high rates of overdose and outbreaks of bloodborne infections, including HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), due to non-sterile injection drug use. We aimed to identify neighbourhoods at increased vulnerability for overdose and infectious disease outbreaks in Rhode Island, USA. The primary aim was to pilot machine learning methods to identify which neighbourhood-level factors were important for creating "vulnerability assessment scores" across the state. The secondary aim was to engage stakeholders to pilot an interactive mapping tool and visualize the results. METHODS From September 2018 to November 2019, we conducted a neighbourhood-level vulnerability assessment and stakeholder engagement process named The VILLAGE Project (Vulnerability Investigation of underlying Local risk And Geographic Events). We developed a predictive analytics model using machine learning methods (LASSO, Elastic Net, and RIDGE) to identify areas with increased vulnerability to an outbreak of overdose, HIV and HCV, using census tract-level counts of overdose deaths as a proxy for injection drug use patterns and related health outcomes. Stakeholders reviewed mapping tools for face validity and community distribution. RESULTS Machine learning prediction models were suitable for estimating relative neighbourhood-level vulnerability to an outbreak. Variables of importance in the model included housing cost burden, prior overdose deaths, housing density, and education level. Eighty-nine census tracts (37%) with no prior overdose fatalities were identified as being vulnerable to such an outbreak, and nine of those were identified as having a vulnerability assessment score in the top 25%. Results were disseminated as a vulnerability stratification map and an online interactive mapping tool. CONCLUSION Machine learning methods are well suited to predict neighborhoods at higher vulnerability to an outbreak. These methods show promise as a tool to assess structural vulnerabilities and work to prevent outbreaks at the local level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse L Yedinak
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Maxwell S Krieger
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Katharine Howe
- Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Epidemiology, Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Colleen Daley Ndoye
- Project Weber/Renew: Harm Reduction & Recovery Services Provider, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Hyunjoon Lee
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anna M Civitarese
- Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Epidemiology, Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Theodore Marak
- Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Epidemiology, Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Elana Nelson
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Samuels
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Overdose Prevention Program, Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Philip A Chan
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Epidemiology, Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Thomas Bertrand
- Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Epidemiology, Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Brandon D L Marshall
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA.
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12
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Javadi R, Lagana K, Krowicki T, Bennett D, Schindler B. Attitudes toward harm reduction among substance use treatment professionals in Philadelphia. JOURNAL OF SUBSTANCE USE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/14659891.2021.1961320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roxane Javadi
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kristine Lagana
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Tess Krowicki
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David Bennett
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Barbara Schindler
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Rudzinski K, Xavier J, Guta A, Chan Carusone S, King K, Phillips JC, Switzer S, O'Leary B, Baltzer Turje R, Harrison S, de Prinse K, Simons J, Strike C. Feasibility, acceptability, concerns, and challenges of implementing supervised injection services at a specialty HIV hospital in Toronto, Canada: perspectives of people living with HIV. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:1482. [PMID: 34325681 PMCID: PMC8323264 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11507-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Substance use significantly impacts health and healthcare of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), especially their ability to remain in hospital following admission. Supervised injection services (SIS) reduce overdoses and drug-related harms, but are not often provided within hospitals/outpatient programs. Leading us to question, what are PLHIV's perceptions of hospital-based SIS? METHODS This mixed-methods study explored feasibility and acceptability of implementing SIS at Casey House, a Toronto-based specialty HIV hospital, from the perspective of its in/outpatient clients. We conducted a survey, examining clients' (n = 92) demand for, and acceptability of, hospital-based SIS. Following this, we hosted two focus groups (n = 14) and one-on-one interviews (n = 8) with clients which explored benefits/drawbacks of in-hospital SIS, wherein participants experienced guided tours of a demonstration SIS space and/or presentations of evidence about impacts of SIS. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. RESULTS Among survey participants, 76.1% (n = 70) identified as cis-male and over half (n = 49;54.4%) had been a hospital client for 2 years or less. Nearly half (48.8%) knew about clients injecting in/near Casey House, while 23.6% witnessed it. Survey participants were more supportive of SIS for inpatients (76.1%) than for outpatients (68.5%); most (74.7%) reported SIS implementation would not impact their level of service use at Casey House, while some predicted coming more often (16.1%) and others less often (9.2%). Most focus group/interview participants, believed SIS would enhance safety by reducing health harms (e.g. overdose), increasing transparency between clients and clinicians about substance use, and helping retain clients in care. Debate arose about who (e.g., in/outpatients vs. non-clients) should have access to hospital-based SIS and how implementation may shift organizational priorities/resources away from services not specific to drug use. CONCLUSIONS Our data showed widespread support of, and need for, hospital-based SIS among client stakeholders; however, attempts to reduce negative impacts on non-drug using clients need to be considered in the balance of implementation plans. Given the increased risks of morbidity and mortality for PLHIV who inject drugs as well as the problems in retaining them in care in a hospital setting, SIS is a key component of improving care for this marginalized group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Rudzinski
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada.
| | - Jessica Xavier
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Adrian Guta
- School of Social Work, University of Windsor, 167 Ferry Street, Windsor, ON, N9A 0C5, Canada
| | - Soo Chan Carusone
- Casey House, 119 Isabella St, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1P2, Canada
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K, Canada
| | - Kenneth King
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - J Craig Phillips
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 190 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Sarah Switzer
- Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S 1V6, Canada
| | - Bill O'Leary
- Casey House, 119 Isabella St, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1P2, Canada
- Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON, M5S 1V4, Canada
| | | | - Scott Harrison
- Providence Health Care - St. Paul's Hospital, 1081 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | | | - Joanne Simons
- Casey House, 119 Isabella St, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1P2, Canada
| | - Carol Strike
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, 209 Victoria St, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
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Brooks-Russell A, Brandspigel S, Franco CY, Alishahi ML, Lee-Winn AE. Perceptions of Syringe Service Programs and Supervised Use Sites Among a Sample of Registered Voters in a US State. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2021; 27:361-368. [PMID: 32956293 DOI: 10.1097/phh.0000000000001261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The decision to initiate a syringe service program or expand to a supervised use site is often influenced by local public support or opposition. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to better understand public attitudes to local syringe service programs to inform the possibility of expanding services. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We surveyed a sample of registered voters (n = 690) in the 8 counties in the state of Colorado with existing syringe service programs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Respondents were asked about their awareness of and attitudes toward syringe service programs and supervised use sites. RESULTS More than three-fourths of respondents reported they were familiar with syringe service programs, but only a quarter knew they were legal, despite all survey respondents living near an operating program. Nearly one in 3 respondents thought a syringe service program or a supervised use site makes a community better, and a majority (57%) thought supervised use sites should be legal in their state. There were significant differences in attitudes toward the benefits and risks of syringe service programs by political party affiliation. CONCLUSION Understanding the level of community knowledge and support for syringe service programs, as well as the reasons for opposition, can be helpful in addressing community concerns when seeking to initiate or expand services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Brooks-Russell
- Departments of Community and Behavioral Health (Dr Brooks-Russell), Epidemiology (Dr Lee-Winn and Ms Alishahi), and Health Policy and Management (Ms Brandspigel), Colorado School of Public Health, and Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health, Department of Pediatrics (Ms Franco), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
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15
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Taylor J, Ober AJ, Kilmer B, Caulkins JP, Iguchi MY. Community perspectives on supervised consumption sites: Insights from four U.S. counties deeply affected by opioids. J Subst Abuse Treat 2021; 131:108397. [PMID: 34098293 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To address the overdose crisis in the United States, expert groups have been nearly unanimous in calls for increasing access to evidence-based treatment and overdose reversal drugs. In some places there have also been calls for implementing supervised consumption sites (SCSs). Some cities-primarily in coastal urban areas-have explored the feasibility and acceptability of introducing them. However, the perspectives of community stakeholders from more inland and rural areas that have also been hard hit by opioids are largely missing from the literature. METHODS To examine community attitudes about implementing SCSs for people who use opioids (PWUO) in areas with acute opioid problems, the research team conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups in four counties: Ashtabula and Cuyahoga Counties in Ohio, and Carroll and Hillsborough Counties in New Hampshire, two states with high rates of opioid overdose. Participants were policy, treatment, and criminal justice professionals, frontline harm reduction and service providers, and PWUO. RESULTS Key informants noted benefits to SCSs, but also perceived potential drawbacks such as that they may enable opioid use, and potential practical barriers, including lack of desire among PWUO to travel to an SCS after purchasing opioids and fear of arrest. Key informants generally believed their communities likely would not currently accept SCSs due to cultural, resource, and practical barriers. They viewed publication of evidence on SCSs and community education as essential for fostering acceptance. CONCLUSIONS Despite cultural and other barriers, implementation of SCSs may be more feasible in urban communities with existing (and perhaps more long-standing) harm reduction programs, greater treatment resources, and adequate transportation, particularly if there is strong evidence to support them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jirka Taylor
- Drug Policy Research Center, RAND Corporation, 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202, United States of America.
| | - Allison J Ober
- Drug Policy Research Center, RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90407, United States of America
| | - Beau Kilmer
- Drug Policy Research Center, RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90407, United States of America
| | - Jonathan P Caulkins
- Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States of America
| | - Martin Y Iguchi
- Drug Policy Research Center, RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90407, United States of America
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Feinglass J, Walker G, Khazanchi R, Rydland K, Tessier RA, Mason M. Community Versus Hospital Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths in Illinois. Public Health Rep 2021; 137:291-300. [PMID: 33682493 PMCID: PMC8900249 DOI: 10.1177/0033354921994901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To better understand approaches to reducing mortality from the opioid epidemic, we analyzed in-hospital versus community opioid-related overdose deaths in Illinois. METHODS We used data from the Statewide Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (July 2017 through December 2018) to identify deaths that occurred in hospitals and communities (ie, homes or public spaces). We used census tract-level data for 34 Illinois counties to create bivariate mapping by overdose death rates. We used logistic regression to analyze the association of demographic and overdose characteristics with the likelihood of death in a hospital versus a community. RESULTS During the study period, 2833 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in 24 Illinois counties, 655 (23.1%) of which occurred in the hospital; of 2178 community deaths, 1888 (86.7%) occurred in the same census tract as the decedent's recorded residence and 1285 (59.0%) occurred in the decedent's home. Non-Hispanic Black people were 1.63 (95% CI, 1.27-2.10) times more likely than non-Hispanic White people to die in a hospital. Decedents from suburban Cook County and other Chicago suburban counties were significantly more likely to die in the hospital than decedents from Chicago or other Illinois counties. Documentation of a previous overdose, history of opioid use, and having bystanders present were significantly associated with hospital deaths. Evidence of a rapid overdose, fentanyl present, or prescription opioids were significantly associated with deaths in a community. CONCLUSIONS The high number of opioid-related overdose deaths in the community illustrates the need to decriminalize illicit drug use and facilitate treatment seeking. Establishing supervised safe consumption sites may have the biggest effect in reducing the number of opioid-related overdose deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Feinglass
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA,Joe Feinglass, PhD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, 750 N Lakeshore Dr, 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611, USA;
| | - Garth Walker
- Buehler Center on Health Policy and Economics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rushmin Khazanchi
- Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Robert Andrew Tessier
- Masters in Public Health Degree Program, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maryann Mason
- Buehler Center on Health Policy and Economics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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Ivsins A, Boyd J, Mayer S, Collins A, Sutherland C, Kerr T, McNeil R. "It's Helped Me a Lot, Just Like to Stay Alive": a Qualitative Analysis of Outcomes of a Novel Hydromorphone Tablet Distribution Program in Vancouver, Canada. J Urban Health 2021; 98:59-69. [PMID: 33118145 PMCID: PMC7592642 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-020-00489-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
North America is experiencing an overdose crisis driven by fentanyl, related analogues, and fentanyl-adulterated drugs. In response, there have been increased calls for "safe supply" interventions based on the premise that providing a safer alternative (i.e., pharmaceutical drugs of known quality/quantity, non-adulterated, with user agency in consumption methods) to the street drug supply will limit people's use of fentanyl-adulterated drugs and reduce overdose events. This study examined outcomes of a hydromorphone tablet distribution program intended to prevent overdose events among people who use drugs (PWUD) at high risk of fatal overdose. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 42 people enrolled in the hydromorphone distribution program. Additionally, over 100 h of ethnographic observation were undertaken in and around the study site. Transcripts were coded using NVivo and based on categories extracted from the interview guides and those identified during initial interviews and ethnographic fieldwork. Analysis focused on narratives around experiences with the program, focusing on program-related outcomes. Our analysis identified the following positive outcomes of being enrolled in the hydromorphone tablet distribution program: (1) reduced street drug use and overdose risk, (2) improvements to health and well-being, (3) improvements in co-management of pain, and (4) economic improvements. Our findings indicate that the hydromorphone distribution program not only is effective in responding to the current overdose crisis by reducing people's use of illicit drugs but also addresses inequities stemming from the intersection of drug use and social inequality. Safe supply programs should be further implemented and evaluated in both urban and rural setting across North America as a strategy to reduce exposure to the toxic drug supply and fatal overdose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Ivsins
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 1045 Howe St Suite 400, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2A9, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 317 - 2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Jade Boyd
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 1045 Howe St Suite 400, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2A9, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 317 - 2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Samara Mayer
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 1045 Howe St Suite 400, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2A9, Canada
| | - Alexandra Collins
- Brown University School of Public Health, 121 S Main St, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Christy Sutherland
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 1045 Howe St Suite 400, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2A9, Canada
- PHS Community Services, 9 E Hastings St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1M9, Canada
| | - Thomas Kerr
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 1045 Howe St Suite 400, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2A9, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 317 - 2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Ryan McNeil
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 1045 Howe St Suite 400, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2A9, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 317 - 2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
- Program in Addiction Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
- General Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
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Roth AM, Mitchell AK, Mukherjee R, Scheim AI, Ward KM, Lankenau SE. Prevalence and Correlates of Syringe Disposal Box Use in a Philadelphia Neighborhood with High Levels of Public Drug Injection. Subst Use Misuse 2021; 56:668-673. [PMID: 33663334 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1887252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Background: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA) is facing an unprecedented public health crisis due to fentanyl use. To combat drug-related litter, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health installed 7 public syringe disposal boxes (SDB) in Kensington, the neighborhood most impacted by the opioid crisis and home to a syringe exchange. Methods: We used street- and business-intercepts to recruit residents (N=358) and business owners/staff (N=78) who completed a brief survey with two binary items measuring observing and using SDB. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess factors independently associated with SDB observance and use. Results: 78% (340/436) observed SDB and 34.1% (116/340) had ever used SDB among those who had seen them. Unstably housed persons had 4.3 times greater odds of observing SDB (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR= 4.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.56, 11.82) and had 2.5 times greater odds of using SDB (aOR = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.33, 4.74) as did people who use opioids (aOR = 2.61; 95% CI: 1.45, 4.72). Among individuals reporting opioid use who also saw SDB (n=123), those who were unstably housed were more likely to use SDB than those with stable housing (67.8% vs 45.3%, p=.012). Conclusion: These results suggest Kensington residents, especially those who are unstably housed, use SDB once they see them in the neighborhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis M Roth
- Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Allison K Mitchell
- Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rohit Mukherjee
- College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ayden I Scheim
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kathleen M Ward
- Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephen E Lankenau
- Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Childs E, Biello KB, Valente PK, Salhaney P, Biancarelli DL, Olson J, Earlywine JJ, Marshall BDL, Bazzi AR. Implementing harm reduction in non-urban communities affected by opioids and polysubstance use: A qualitative study exploring challenges and mitigating strategies. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2020; 90:103080. [PMID: 33340947 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Harm reduction services, which typically provide overdose education and prevention with distribution of naloxone and other supplies related to safer drug use, help reduce opioid-related overdose and infectious disease transmission. However, structural stigma and the ongoing criminalization of drug use have limited the expansion of harm reduction services into many non-urban communities in the United States that have been increasingly affected by the health consequences of opioid and polysubstance use. METHODS We conducted qualitative interviews with 22 professionals working with people who use drugs in cities and towns across Rhode Island and Massachusetts to understand challenges and strategies for engaging communities in accepting harm reduction perspectives and services. RESULTS Our thematic analysis identified several interrelated challenges to implementing harm reduction services in non-urban communities, including: (1) limited understandings of harm reduction practice and preferential focus on substance use treatment and primary prevention, (2) community-level stigma against people who use drugs as well as the agencies supporting them, (3) data reporting and aggregating leading to inaccurate perceptions about local patterns of substance use and related health consequences, and (4) a "prosecutorial mindset" against drug use and harm reduction. From key informants' narratives, we also identified specific strategies that communities could use to address these challenges, including: (1) identifying local champions to advocate for harm reduction strategies, (2) proactively educating communities about harm reduction approaches before they are implemented, (3) improving the visibility of harm reduction services within communities, and (4) obtaining "buy-in" from a wide range of local stakeholders including law enforcement and local government. CONCLUSION These findings carry important implications for expanding harm reduction services, including syringe service programs and safe injection sites, into non-urban communities that have a demonstrated need for evidence-based interventions to reduce drug-related overdose and infectious disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Childs
- Abt Associates, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - K B Biello
- Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Behavioral & Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - P K Valente
- Department of Behavioral & Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - P Salhaney
- Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - D L Biancarelli
- Department of Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J Olson
- Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - J J Earlywine
- Department of Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - B D L Marshall
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - A R Bazzi
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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20
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Betsos A, Valleriani J, Boyd J, Bardwell G, Kerr T, McNeil R. "I couldn't live with killing one of my friends or anybody": A rapid ethnographic study of drug sellers' use of drug checking. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2020; 87:102845. [PMID: 33246303 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Drug sellers are often represented as morally bereft actors and as being, in part, responsible for North America's overdose crisis. In Canada and the United States, drug sellers selling fentanyl and fentanyl-adulterated drugs have been charged with manslaughter when their clients fatally overdose, representing a retrenchment of drug war tactics. However, targeting drug sellers for drug checking interventions may have potential for reducing fentanyl-related harms. This study explores drug sellers' negotiation of and engagement with drug checking technologies in Vancouver, Canada. METHODS Rapid ethnographic fieldwork was conducted from November 2018 to January 2019, including 26 semi-structured interviews with people who tested their drugs at an overdose prevention site to examine perceptions of the efficacy of drug checking. As drug sellers were also using the drug checking services, we specifically examined their perceptions of drug checking and the market aspects of the overdose crisis. Data were analyzed using Nvivo 12 and interpreted drawing on the concept of structural vulnerability. FINDINGS Drug sellers accessing drug checking services were concerned about the safety of their customers, and drug checking was one way of reducing the likelihood of harm. Drug sellers were embedded in the community, thereby, enmeshing practices of community care and ethics with the selling of drugs. When they had access to drug checking knowledge, sellers were able to modify risks related to the fentanyl market, including tailoring drugs sold to clients, returning dangerous batches and modifying fentanyl in order to make it safer to consume. CONCLUSIONS Our findings reposition drug sellers as embedded within their communities and demonstrate their potential role in alleviating the dangers of the volatile fentanyl market. Policies that target people who sell drugs, particularly murder or manslaughter charges, are likely to make the crisis worse, and serious consideration should be put into harm reduction approaches with drug sellers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Betsos
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400 - 1045 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada
| | - Jenna Valleriani
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400 - 1045 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada
| | - Jade Boyd
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400 - 1045 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Geoff Bardwell
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400 - 1045 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Thomas Kerr
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400 - 1045 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ryan McNeil
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400 - 1045 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Yale School of Medicine, 367 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States; Social & Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, United States.
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21
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Johnson LT, Shreve T. The ecology of overdose mortality in Philadelphia. Health Place 2020; 66:102430. [PMID: 32932005 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Fatal drug overdose represents a significant public health threat in Philadelphia, but substantial variation exists across its communities. This study uses negative binomial longitudinal regression to model ZIP code overdose fatalities over a seven-year period. Model covariates indicate that structural inequality, police arrest activity, and features of the built environment are associated with increased mortality across ZIP codes. Additionally, fatalities are spatially concentrated in select geographies of the city. These findings emphasize the pertinence of community ecological features in the production of stratified within-city health outcomes, and inform the geographic distribution of harm reduction interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lallen T Johnson
- Department of Justice, Law & Criminology, American University, Kerwin 270, 4400 Massachusetts Av., NW, Washington, DC, 20016, USA.
| | - Tayler Shreve
- Department of Justice, Law & Criminology, American University, Kerwin 270, 4400 Massachusetts Av., NW, Washington, DC, 20016, USA.
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No "back to normal" after COVID-19 for our failed drug policies. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2020; 83:102901. [PMID: 32807624 PMCID: PMC7418724 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Before COVID-19 pandemic, advocates had long urged drug policy reforms based on health, security, civil rights, racial justice, fiscal stewardship, and other considerations. In the United States, such calls went largely unanswered. In response to COVID-19, public health and occupational safety concerns have rapidly transformed some drug policies, along with their enforcement. Almost contemporaneously, nationwide protests against violence and racism by militarized police have highlighted the enduring legacy of the Drug War in fueling carceral systems. Disruption from these historical events provides a once-in-a-century opportunity to reconsider the legal architecture of drug policy and policing–both in the U.S. and elsewhere. Rather than returning to a fundamentally broken and inequitable status quo, we urge envisioning a new drug policy in service to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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Felsher M, Ziegler E, Smith LR, Sherman SG, Amico KR, Fox R, Madden K, Roth AM. An Exploration of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Initiation Among Women Who Inject Drugs. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 49:2205-2212. [PMID: 32274742 PMCID: PMC7773227 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01684-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective but understudied tool for preventing HIV among women who inject drugs (WWID). This article is the first to explore WWID's rationale for PrEP initiation (or refusal) in a real-world setting. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 25 WWID, participating in a PrEP demonstration project operating within a syringe services program, based on whether they initiated or declined PrEP care. Content analysis of qualitative interviews was used to explore decisions to initiate PrEP (or not). We found that WWID view HIV as severe, perceive themselves to be susceptible to HIV, and believe PrEP is beneficial for HIV prevention. For some, however, real and perceived barriers outweighed benefits, leading to decisions not to initiate PrEP. Barriers included HIV stigma, fear of side effects, and needing assurance that PrEP care will be available long-term. Despite viewing PrEP as an important HIV prevention tool, not all WWID who were offered PrEP initiated it. For these women, supports to buffer perceived barriers to initiation and access to post-exposure prophylaxis may be warranted. For women who initiate, it is possible that adherence will wane if perceived risk does not remain high. Research to understand PrEP persistence is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa Felsher
- Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3215 Market St., Room 454, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Eliza Ziegler
- Department of Health Management and Policy, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Laramie R Smith
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Susan G Sherman
- Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - K Rivet Amico
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rachel Fox
- Public Health Management Corporation Care Clinic, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kayla Madden
- Prevention Point Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alexis M Roth
- Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3215 Market St., Room 454, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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Brooks HL, Husband C, Taylor M, Sherren A, Hyshka E. Supporting the full participation of people who use drugs in policy fora: Provision of a temporary, conference-based overdose prevention site. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2020; 84:102878. [PMID: 32739614 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The overdose epidemic in North America remains acute and interventions are needed to mitigate harm and prevent death. People who use/d drugs (PWUD) hold essential knowledge to guide the development of these interventions and conferences are vital fora for hearing their perspectives and building support for new policies and programs. However, little guidance exists on how to best ensure the safety of PWUD during conferences. In October 2018, a low-threshold overdose prevention site (OPS) was implemented at a national drug policy and harm reduction conference in Edmonton, Canada. The OPS provided delegates with a monitored space to consume drugs and access drug consumption supplies. This commentary describes the implementation of the OPS with the aim of providing practical guidance for organizers of future substance use-related conferences, meetings, and other events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah L Brooks
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405 - 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 1C9
| | - Cassandra Husband
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405 - 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 1C9
| | - Marliss Taylor
- Program Manager, Streetworks, Boyle Street Community Services, 10116-105 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5H 0K2
| | - Arthur Sherren
- Harm Reduction Support Worker, Supervised Consumption Services, Boyle Street Community Services, 10116-105 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5H 0K2
| | - Elaine Hyshka
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405 - 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 1C9.
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Kenney SR, Anderson BJ, Bailey GL, Herman DS, Conti MT, Stein MD. Examining Overdose and Homelessness as Predictors of Willingness to Use Supervised Injection Facilities by Services Provided Among Persons Who Inject Drugs. Am J Addict 2020; 30:21-25. [PMID: 32519449 DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Internationally, supervised injection facilities (SIFs) have demonstrated efficacy in reducing rates of overdose and promoting entry into treatment among persons who inject drugs (PWID); however, they remain unavailable in the United States. Early findings examining American PWID illustrate high overall willingness to use SIFs. The current study expands upon this research by examining PWID's likelihood to use SIFs based on services offered (eg, provides clean needles, linkage to treatment programs) and whether known risk factors (prior overdose, homelessness) influence PWID's willingness to use a SIF. METHODS Participants (n = 184) were patients entering short-term inpatient opioid withdrawal management in Massachusetts between May 2018 and February 2019 who reported injection drug use in the prior 30 days. We examined PWID's likelihood to use a SIF if eight unique services were available, and compared if this differed by overdose history and homelessness status using ordered logistic regression and Pearson's χ2 -tests of independence. RESULTS Participants (34.2 [±8.3 SD] years of age, 68.5% male, 85.9% white, 8.2% Hispanic) reported being most likely to use SIFs that provided safety from police intervention (86.7%), entry into withdrawal management (85.9%), or clean needles (83.2%). Drug works disposal and safety from police were particularly important for PWID with a history of overdose. CONCLUSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Overall, treatment-seeking PWIDs reported greater willingness to utilize SIFs if particular services were provided. These findings point to features of SIFs that may enhance treatment-seeking PWID's amenability to utilizing these services if such sites open in the United States. (Am J Addict 2021;30:21-25).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon R Kenney
- Behavioral Medicine and Addictions Research, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island.,Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Bradley J Anderson
- Behavioral Medicine and Addictions Research, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Genie L Bailey
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.,Stanley Street Treatment and Resources, Inc, Fall River, Massachusetts
| | - Debra S Herman
- Behavioral Medicine and Addictions Research, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island.,Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Micah T Conti
- Behavioral Medicine and Addictions Research, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Michael D Stein
- Behavioral Medicine and Addictions Research, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island.,School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
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