Post 9: Tactics for addressing opioids in Boston
This past Tuesday, November 7th, was election day for many towns and cities. My hometown, Boston had the mayoral election this year, so that means I did a little research on the candidates before sending home my absentee ballot. As a student with a future in healthcare, when I read political news, I mostly am interested in policy that pertains to health care access. While reading, I found an interesting podcast from WBUR that highlighted both people's complains and people's compliments of what Marty Walsh, Boston's mayor, has done for the opioid epidemic.
Through this podcast, I found that since declaring the epidemic an emergency at the beginning of his term four years ago Walsh has implemented some different initiatives. The first one, which had already been running in other parts of the state, is the safe need exchange. In Boston, these safe needle exchanges are used to give out clean needles to those who return their dirty ones. This is a preventative care idea that helps cut the rates of HIV and other transmittable diseases. This also helps keep the city a bit cleaner. The program manager of the operation in the South End of Boston has seen a 300 percent increase in volume since relocating to an actual building instead of the mobile van they used to work out of. She also states that they offer a variety of services for those who walk through the doors, "They can get clean needles, clean ancillary injecting supplies, which is aimed primarily at preventing HIV and hepatitis C transmission... They can come and get a referral, treatment, coffee, food, clean socks. Anything that you can think of, we'll try to do here"(Surrounded By Overdose Death, Boston Needle Exchange Program Staff Try To Save Lives, 2015).
The second innovation that the Walsh team has brought to Boston to address the opioid epidemic is open an engagement center. This center was put in place to address the problem of drug users not having anywhere to be when they aren't using. This was a very cool idea to me. The engagement center, that sees on average 600 visitors a day. It gives them a place to stay warm and interact with others. The center has TVs and games, as well as offers a place for people to get their hair cut and fill out job applications (A Refuge Or A “Warehouse”? Boston Opens A Day Center For Drug Users, 2017).
Both of these programs are helping address parts of the behavioral epidemic in my city. As a person who hopes to one day manage a health facility, the more "outpatient" and preventative programs that are implemented will help keep the volume of people in the hospitals, hopefully, out. New and different tactics are important to explore. These initiatives are important to both my city and my future.
Through this podcast, I found that since declaring the epidemic an emergency at the beginning of his term four years ago Walsh has implemented some different initiatives. The first one, which had already been running in other parts of the state, is the safe need exchange. In Boston, these safe needle exchanges are used to give out clean needles to those who return their dirty ones. This is a preventative care idea that helps cut the rates of HIV and other transmittable diseases. This also helps keep the city a bit cleaner. The program manager of the operation in the South End of Boston has seen a 300 percent increase in volume since relocating to an actual building instead of the mobile van they used to work out of. She also states that they offer a variety of services for those who walk through the doors, "They can get clean needles, clean ancillary injecting supplies, which is aimed primarily at preventing HIV and hepatitis C transmission... They can come and get a referral, treatment, coffee, food, clean socks. Anything that you can think of, we'll try to do here"(Surrounded By Overdose Death, Boston Needle Exchange Program Staff Try To Save Lives, 2015).
The second innovation that the Walsh team has brought to Boston to address the opioid epidemic is open an engagement center. This center was put in place to address the problem of drug users not having anywhere to be when they aren't using. This was a very cool idea to me. The engagement center, that sees on average 600 visitors a day. It gives them a place to stay warm and interact with others. The center has TVs and games, as well as offers a place for people to get their hair cut and fill out job applications (A Refuge Or A “Warehouse”? Boston Opens A Day Center For Drug Users, 2017).
Both of these programs are helping address parts of the behavioral epidemic in my city. As a person who hopes to one day manage a health facility, the more "outpatient" and preventative programs that are implemented will help keep the volume of people in the hospitals, hopefully, out. New and different tactics are important to explore. These initiatives are important to both my city and my future.
A Refuge Or A “Warehouse”? Boston Opens A Day Center For Drug Users. (2017, September 28). Retrieved November 26, 2017, from http://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2017/09/28/opioid-engagement-center
In Mayoral Race, Disagreement Over Boston’s Approach To Tackling Opioid Crisis. (2017, November 6). Retrieved November 26, 2017, from http://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2017/11/06/mayoral-election-opioid-crisis
Surrounded By Overdose Death, Boston Needle Exchange Program Staff Try To Save Lives. (2015, June 22). Retrieved November 26, 2017, from http://www.wbur.org/news/2015/06/22/opioid-overdose-ahope-needle-exchange
I was not aware of the Boston Needle Exchange Program so thank you for educating me. Just playing Devil's Advocate - isn't providing a clean needle enabling this behavior to continue? Some sort of intervention needs to be set in place. I understand that the goal is to decrease HIV transmission but just swapping out dirty needles isn't exactly eradicating the problem.
ReplyDeleteI think that, that is an interesting thing we have to think about. The opioid epidemic is sweeping the nation and I am sure it is a tough puzzle to figure out. If I had to choose a side on the argument I would say that although some see it as enabling, giving clean needles is keeping more people that use drugs alive. That's a better outcome than people dying from both over doses and infections. They are going to find a way to use whether we give them clean needles or not so at least the needle exchange programs are doing something!
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