Lifting of Federal Funding Ban Could Give Financial Boost to Needle Exchanges

A measure that effectively lifts the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs, passed by Congress last month, could give a financial boost to the programs, WBUR reports. Federal funds still cannot be used for syringes, but they can pay for staff, vehicles, counseling and outreach.

The programs allow people who use drugs intravenously to trade dirty syringes for clean ones, to help prevent the spread of diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.

The funding measure was part of the omnibus spending package signed by President Obama in January. It allows funding for exchanges only in areas where drug-related cases of hepatitis and HIV are rising or are likely to.

“It is really an important and historic moment for us at syringe exchanges,” said Mark Casanova, Executive Director of Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles, which runs a syringe exchange. “But it doesn’t go far enough.” He said about one-third of his $350,000 budget for the exchange program is spent on syringes.

More needle exchange programs are needed for people who inject drugs in rural and suburban areas, according to a study published in December by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A syringe-exchange program started in Indiana in response to an HIV outbreak has led to a significant drop in needle sharing among intravenous drug users, according to a CDC study published in October.

Last March, Indiana Governor Mike Pence declared a public health emergency as the state battled the HIV outbreak. The governor authorized a short-term program in one county to exchange used needles for sterile ones, to reduce the risk of contaminated needles being shared. In May, Pence signed a law that extends the program, allowing Indiana localities with health emergencies to begin their own needle exchanges.