"Lifepoint": a case study in using social science community identification data to guide the implementation of a needle exchange program.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"Lifepoint": a case study in using social science community identification data to guide the implementation of a needle exchange program.

AIDS Educ Prev. 1999 Jun;11(3):187-202. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/99335768
Somlai AM; Kelly JA; Otto-Salaj L; Nelson D; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College; of Wisconsin 53226, USA.

Abstract: The public health benefits of needle exchange programs (NEPs) are well known. NEPs lower risk factors for HIV transmission by providing injection drug users (IDUs) with clean syringes and needles; harm reduction materials; and referrals to drug, sexually transmitted disease, mental health, and medical treatment facilities. While exchange programs continue to be implemented, there have been few reports illustrating how social science and community assessment research can be used to guide the development of NEPs. Using the Lifepoint needle exchange program in Milwaukee as a case study, this paper shows how social science methods can be used to understand IDU culture through the community identification process, link qualitative and observational findings to program decision making, and guide the implementation and operation of a needle exchange. The community identification process showed that there were different IDU subcultures in the city indicating that the NEP would need to be tailored to meet the distinctive needs of multiple drug use networks. Ethnographic field observations and key informant and systems representative interviews resulted in a two-stage NEP planning process that included a community task force on IDUs and of the development of methods to operationalize community assessment findings into the operating plan of the NEP. This process illustrates the importance of integrating a systematic community analysis in the planning of a NEP.

Keywords: JOURNAL ARTICLE Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/PREVENTION & CONTROL/ TRANSMISSION Adult Comparative Study *Consumer Participation Costs and Cost Analysis Ethnic Groups Female Human HIV Infections/*PREVENTION & CONTROL/TRANSMISSION Infant, Newborn Male Needle Sharing *Needle-Exchange Programs/ECONOMICS/ORGANIZATION & ADMIN Research Risk Factors Sex Factors *Social Sciences Substance Abuse, Intravenous/COMPLICATIONS Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. Wisconsin
991130
A99B1077

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