NEWARK E.M.A. HIV HEALTH SERVICES PLANNING COUNCIL
315 North 6th Street, Second Floor, P.O. Box 7007, Newark, New Jersey  07107-2311
Office Telephone # (973) 485-5220     Facsimile # (973) 485-5085

The Newark EMA HIV Health Services Planning Council’s RESOLUTION on harm reduction and needle/syringe exchange 

Adopted by the Planning Council, March 17,1999

The Newark EMA HIV Health Services Planning Council was created by the federal Ryan White CARE Act -- legislation that provides for medical and social support services for people living with HIV disease and their families.  The Planing Council is a body of 30 non-paid representatives, with expertise in the field of HIV/AIDS care and treatment, who are responsible for undertaking the Planning Council’s mandates (as per the CARE Act); namely. the establishment of priorities for the $14.3 million received by the Newark EMA.  Members of the Planning Council represent State and local health agencies, community-based organizations including AIDS Service providers or the local community affected by HIV.  A third of the people on the Council are people living with HIV or AIDS. 

WHEREAS, as of December 31, 1998, 26,238 New Jerseyans, including 10,397 people from the five counties of the Newark EMA (Essex, Morris, Sussex Union and Warren) are living with HIV or AIDS; and  

WHEREAS, the cumulative AIDS Cases in New Jersey (37,517) ranks this state 5^th in the nation; and

WHEREAS, one half of New Jersey’s HIV infections are directly caused by the sharing of contaminated syringes by injection drug users and an additional one quarter of infections are indirectly caused by the sharing of contaminated syringes; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey has the third highest rate of injection-related HIV in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS was higher among persons entering drug treatment in a large Newark agency than among persons in any of 20 other drug treatment agencies studied by the Centers for Disease Control in 1997; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey has a greater percentage of AIDS cases among women (28% of cumulative AIDS cases; but 35% of AIDS cases reported in 1998) than any other state; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey is third in terms of pediatric AIDS cases in the United States; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey has two cities (Newark and Jersey City) on the top ten list of United States cities with the highest rate of AIDS per capita; and

WHEREAS, among those who inject drugs, African-Americans are five times more likely than whites to get AIDS, and Latinos are at least one and a half times as likely as whites to get AIDS; and

WHEREAS, in light of the disproportionate impact of injection drug-related HIV on communities of color, the continuing inaction to implement effective HIV prevention targeting this group undermines the credibility of the State of New Jersey and the Federal government’s stated goal of reducing racial and ethnic health disparities; and

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that in 1997 there were 46,000 injection drug users in New Jersey who were not yet infected with HIV; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey is the only state in the northeast United States without legal provisions for syringe exchange; and  

WHEREAS, there is still, as there has always been, inadequate treatment slots for drug users willing and able to access effective treatment; and

WHEREAS, the medical field and public policy regard drug addiction as a chronic, relapsing disease; and

WHEREAS, over 113 needle/syringe exchange programs exist in 30 states exchanging 17.5 million syringes annually; and

WHEREAS, the National Institutes of Health Consensus Panel reviewed studies on the effectiveness of syringe exchange programs and concluded that syringe exchange programs do not increase syringe injecting behavior among current drug users, do not increase the number of drug users, and do not increase the amount of discarded drug paraphernalia.  In addition, the NIH stated that “legislative restriction on [syringe exchange programs] must be lifted.  Such legislation constitutes a major barrier to realizing the potential of a powerful approach and exposes millions of people to unnecessary risk;” and

WHEREAS, syringe exchange is supported by the following national organizations: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Psychiatrists in Alcoholism and Addictions, American Bar Association, American Medical Association, American Pharmaceutical Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Public Health Association, American Society of Addiction Medicine, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, National Academy of Sciences, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, National Association of Social Workers, National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Latino Committee on AIDS, National Black Caucus of State Legislatures, U.S. Conference of Mayors, World Health Organization, and National Black Police Association; and

WHEREAS, syringe exchange is supported by the following New Jersey-based organizations:  NJ Harm Reduction Coalition, NJ Women and AIDS Network, NJ Medical Society, NJ Public Health Association, NJ State Nurses Association, Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Association of Social Workers in AIDS Care, Governor’s Advisory Council on AIDS, Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, NJ American Civil Liberties Union, NJ HIV Prevention Community Planning Group, NJ National Organization of Women, Hudson County HIV/AIDS Services Planning Council, and the Paterson – Passaic County – Bergen County HIV Health Services Planning Council; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Newark EMA HIV Health Services Planning Council in recognition of the overwhelming humanitarian and public health imperative, supports harm reduction in its widest interpretation including the immediate establishment of legal syringe exchange and relaxing of drug paraphernalia laws (to allow for the purchase of clean needles/syringes over the counter) in New Jersey as a component of a comprehensive HIV and other blood-borne disease prevention program. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these needle/syringe exchange programs include drug and HIV education as well as referrals to the range of social and medical services including drug treatment.  They must also be established with the cooperation of law enforcement officers and demonstrate acceptance by community and religious groups as well as local government. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Newark EMA HIV Health Services Planning Council urges State and local leaders and elected officials to show compassion and take the lead in removing all impediments to the implementation of needle/syringe exchange and other proven public health interventions to save the lives of injecting drug users at risk of HIV and other blood borne infections. 

References

1.        New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition, John Mackin, P.O. Box 1459, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, 1998

2.         “PACHA resolution on Needle Exchange Programs,” March 17, 1998

3.        United States Conference of Mayors Adopts Resolution:  “Rationale for Needle Exchange Programs”, US Conference of Mayors, 1620 Eye Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20006, August 1997

4.         “Health Emergency 1999, The Spread of Drug-Related AIDS and other Deadly Diseases among African Americans and Latinos,” Dawn Day, Ph.D., Dogwood Center, PO Box 187, Princeton, NJ, 08542

5.         “NJPHA Position Paper: Supporting Needle Exchange to Reduce HIV Transmission,” 1995

6.        Unpublished public testimony, Riki Jacobs, Executive Director of the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, 1999

7.         “Recommendation Supporting Clean Needle Availability”, Governor’s Advisory Council on AIDS, 1996

8.        Resolution from the Hudson County HIV/AIDS Services Planning Council, January 6, 1999.

9.         “Hard Line on Needle Exchanges”, David Kocieniewski, New York Times February 2, 1999.

10.      “Studies of needle program called flawed,” Cinda Becker, Home News, February 4, 1999.

11.      “Whitman’s wrong to ignore health value of needle exchange,” Rev. Benjamin Evans, President, Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Jersey Journal, February 4, 1999.