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News: Needle exchange program marks 20 years - 13th November 2006

Fry-d-

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Needle exchange program marks 20 years

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Australia's first needle exchange program.

Since the inception of the first program at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney in 1986, around 3,000 needle exchange programs have been set up across Australia, distributing more than 32 million syringes a year.

Dr Alex Wodak from St Vincent's says support for the programs is not high, but their success should not be underestimated.

"The opinion polls are always at least in the 60s if not higher... of course it would be better if it was in the 80s or 90s, and there always are the short-term opportunists who'd try to score a point or two off something like this," he said.

He says the programs have helped avoid more than 25,000 cases of HIV and 21,000 hepatitis C infections.

From ABC news online.
 
This is a great landmark for Australia. It's interesting to consider how different things would be if we didn't have needle exchanges.

Alex Wodak (quoted above) is generally named as the person opening the first needle exchange in Australia. However, it's worth remembering that needle exchanges were first devised by drug users themselves. The first needle exchange was started by the Junkies Union in the Netherlands in 1984 ( http://aidscience.com/Articles/aidscience013.asp#11 ). There is no doubt that informal syringe distribution networks existed in Australia prior to Dr Wodak's efforts, and I have heard that a drug user organisation in Victoria was running a covert needle exchange out of a shop front in Fitzroy by 1985.

I don't want to diminish Dr Wodak's fine work - but simply to point out that people who inject drugs - like other illicit drug users - are perfectly capable of devising effective harm reduction strategies. Wodak & co merely copied from the real experts :)
 
does anyone know of a needle exchange in perth? Im sick of paying $7.50 for 5 clean picks without water. By the way great idea.
 
Doesn't your hospital have vending machines?
If you buy in bulk at a chemist that isn't dodgy or open 24 hours, You can buy like 50 needles for around $10, swabs are cheap as, and a strip of water vials are also very cheap.

They'll make drug users pay more if they don't buy in bulk.
 
WASUA still there!

Yep - that address is right.

It's a bit depressing to think that people still can't find needle exchanges given the sheer number of them in Australia. I think it's cos we can't advertise...

The AIVL website is a good starting point to find free fits in Australia www.aivl.org.au

btw - in reference to the initial post - here's a link to the press release from the ANCD: http://www.ancd.org.au/media/media100.htm

It's got a nice summary of NSP (needle exchanges) in Australia.
 
most public hospitals operate exchange programs...well my local one does anyway. Just head up to the triage nurse with your used kit (well it is an exchange) once they've sighted it you usually just chuck it in the special bin and leave with your fresh pack

Everytime i get a pack (1 every few years) I am awe struck at the intelligence of the people who operate this program.

The things come packed with everything you'd ever need. its almost like one of those survival kits they had on the movie "dr strangelove". i have no idea why people even bother buying dodgy fits from chemist...

a fella could have a good time in vega's with an Australian fit pack.


but i'd like to say that program has saved my life countless times over the years when i was young and naive....
 
Besides the moral panic and hysteria caused by the media, the injection room has done a great job in exactly the problems that most ppl complain about. Overdoses, death, disease and dirty needles left on the street. Now the problem is why help the addicts, well its simple, humans have a right to be free from suffering. And just like a alcoholic or prescription addict can get help. So can a illegal drug addict.
 
I think this anniversary is fantastic, and as BL'ers, one that we all should celebrate.

The only thing that irks me is that most non drug-users (drug users, for that matter as well) are the first to complain about filthy junkies leaving their sharps everywhere, and yet are often the first ones to complain about the 'eyesore' of these same junkies utilising exchange/shooting galleries.

There is also the issue of remote communities, particularly indigenous ones, that lack access to these facilities which i think is a really important issue that needs to be highlighted.
 
^In Vic we got it pretty good. There's over 200 NSPs throughout the state, with access in country towns from Mallacoota to Mildura.

There are a couple of Aboriginal Health services that operate NSPs - but sometimes Aboriginal people who inject don't want to go to these services to pick up fits because it's their sister behind the counter. This is actually a general problem for rural and regional people who inject - everyone knows everyone in your town, so you go to the next one to pick up freshies...
 
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