June 6, 2008

ACTION ALERT: TELL CONGRESS TO LIFT NEX BAN!

Tell Congress syringe exchange saves lives!

It's been almost a year since Congress lifted the ban on the use of local tax dollars for syringe exchange in Washington, D.C., and now is the time for Congress to take the next logical (and ethical) step and end the ban on federally funding syringe exchange programs.

Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.) plans to introduce a bill to end the federal ban this session, marking the first time in more than a decade that Congress has made a real effort to lift this cruel and deadly ban once and for all. But Congress needs to show as much support as possible. So far Serrano, Jerrold Nadler, Edolphus Towns and Yvette Clark are the only members of the New York delegation to sign on. Let's increase participation! Call your representatives, and ask them to demonstrate their support by signing a letter to House leadership.

Here's how to make a difference in two easy steps:

1) Go to house.gov to find out who your U.S. congressperson is. (If you already know your rep, proceed to step #2.).

2) Call up your rep's. D.C. office (U.S. Congress switchboard at 800-828-0498 or 202-224-3121) and ask to speak to his or her health staffer. Ask your rep to sign the bipartisan "Dear Colleague" letter being circulated by Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Mike Castle (R-DE).

Suggested message:

"Local communities should decide how best to fight the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. Syringe exchanges are proven to help reduce HIV infection and also provide important links to drug treatment. It's time to lift the federal ban on syringe exchange funding. Will [xx member] sign the Cummings/Castle letter?"

Other key talking points:

• One-third of people with HIV in the United States were infected through injection drug use. Every year, another 8,000 people are newly infected with HIV through sharing contaminated syringes and another 15,000 are infected with hepatitis C.
• These infections are preventable. In communities where access to sterile syringes is supported, transmission of HIV and hepatitis C in injecting drug users has declined as a proportion of all cases by mode of transmission. Decreases have also been documented among the sex partners and children of injection drug users.
• Syringe exchange programs are highly cost-effective. The lifetime cost of medical care for each new HIV infection is $385,200. The equivalent amount of money spent on syringe exchange programs would prevent at least 30 new HIV infections.
• Syringe exchange programs increase access to drug treatment and medical care. In addition to the reduced risks for disease, sterile syringe access programs facilitate greater access to drug treatment. These programs also provide a crucial entry point into medical care, detox and rehabilitation, and mental health treatment.
• Nearly 200 syringe exchange programs currently operate in 38 states, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and Indian territories. Most operate on a shoestring, surviving on dwindling private donations and severe restrictions of public funding.
• The medical and scientific communities support syringe exchange. Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Academy of Sciences show that syringe exchange programs are effective. Programs have the support of the medical community, including the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association and the American Nurses Association.
• Syringe exchanges get dirty needles off the streets. Research demonstrates that the presence of a syringe exchange program reduces the number of improperly discarded used syringes. In Baltimore, after a syringe exchange program was implemented, the number of inappropriately discarded syringes decreased by almost 50 percent. In Portland, Oregon the number of discarded syringes decreased by almost two-thirds after the needle exchange program opened. In 1992, Connecticut repealed a law forbidding the sale of syringes without a prescription. As a result, reports show a reduction in needle sharing by 50 percent and a decrease in HIV infections by more than 30 percent. In addition, law enforcement officials experienced two-thirds fewer needlestick injuries.

E-mail hrcwest@harmreduction.org and let the Harm Reduction Coalition know what you hear back!

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Phil Fox Rose, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

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