Needle exchange program
Ethical Principles Related To the Needle Exchange Program
Jaimi Kilcrease
Community Health Nursing, N141
Department of Nursing
California State University, Fresno
September 29, 2013
When I first heard about the Needle Exchange Program (NEP) several years ago, my thoughts were about how it was wrong to help people use drugs by providing a means for them to obtain clean needles. I struggled with morality and ethical principles that were at play in this program. Helping individuals who are addicted to drugs and who choose to put others at risk by using and reusing needles to inject substances is a tough thing to justify. Initially, this seemed to be promoting the very behavior that is looked down upon. How could we help these individuals by supplying them with the needed tools to continue their dysfunctional behaviors? Upon further thought, I realize that by collecting used needles, we can control whether or not they are re-used, and provide a way to prevent the spread of disease. Perhaps my struggle is that I knew only the surface elements of the NEP and I didn’t have a complete understanding on how and why this program was organized and the details that were involved in making it successful. There are different names for these programs such as Syringe Exchange and Needle Exchange. For this paper, I will refer to them as Needle Exchange Programs.
In Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2010), there is discussion about other services that are available to injection drug users (IDU’s) who come to, and participate in the NEP. Counseling and testing is available for commonly transmitted diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C (HCV). These are diseases transmitted through sharing and reusing needles. By providing screening and counseling, individuals are educated and made aware of how and why these diseases are increasingly being transmitted. Screening for tuberculosis and sexually transmitted
Jaimi Kilcrease
Community Health Nursing, N141
Department of Nursing
California State University, Fresno
September 29, 2013
When I first heard about the Needle Exchange Program (NEP) several years ago, my thoughts were about how it was wrong to help people use drugs by providing a means for them to obtain clean needles. I struggled with morality and ethical principles that were at play in this program. Helping individuals who are addicted to drugs and who choose to put others at risk by using and reusing needles to inject substances is a tough thing to justify. Initially, this seemed to be promoting the very behavior that is looked down upon. How could we help these individuals by supplying them with the needed tools to continue their dysfunctional behaviors? Upon further thought, I realize that by collecting used needles, we can control whether or not they are re-used, and provide a way to prevent the spread of disease. Perhaps my struggle is that I knew only the surface elements of the NEP and I didn’t have a complete understanding on how and why this program was organized and the details that were involved in making it successful. There are different names for these programs such as Syringe Exchange and Needle Exchange. For this paper, I will refer to them as Needle Exchange Programs.
In Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2010), there is discussion about other services that are available to injection drug users (IDU’s) who come to, and participate in the NEP. Counseling and testing is available for commonly transmitted diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C (HCV). These are diseases transmitted through sharing and reusing needles. By providing screening and counseling, individuals are educated and made aware of how and why these diseases are increasingly being transmitted. Screening for tuberculosis and sexually transmitted