harm reduction Archives

The Authors’ Own Words: Description and outcomes of a buprenorphine maintenance treatment program integrated within Prevention Point Philadelphia, an urban syringe exchange

Jan 2, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Description and outcomes of a buprenorphine maintenance treatment program integrated within Prevention Point Philadelphia, an urban syringe exchange

Marcus A. Bachhuber MA , MD, MSHP; Cole Thompson MD; Ann Prybylowski MD; José Benitez MSW; Silvana Mazzella MA; & David Barclay MD

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 2, 2018

“As heroin use continues to increase in the United States, expanding access to effective medication treatments is urgently needed. Syringe exchange programs (SEPs) provide vital harm reduction services to people who use heroin. While they have not traditionally provided treatment, they are uniquely positioned to do so. In a buprenorphine maintenance program integrated within Prevention Point Philadelphia, an urban SEP, we found that retention in buprenorphine maintenance treatment was similar to retention in other settings. While further research is needed to more fully characterize outcomes in SEPs versus other settings, our findings suggest that buprenorphine maintenance treatment fully integrated within an SEP is possible and may be one venue for future expansion of buprenorphine treatment.”

The Authors’ Own Words: The willingness of people who inject drugs in Boston to use a supervised injection facility

Dec 10, 2019 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

The willingness of people who inject drugs in Boston to use a supervised injection facility

Casey León, MPH; Lena Cardoso, BA; Sarah Mackin, MPH; Barry Bock, RN; & Jessie M. Gaeta, MD

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 1, 2018

“This manuscript identifies characteristics associated with willingness to use supervised injection facilities by self-report of people who use injection drugs. The results of this study suggest that a supervised injection facility (SIF) in an urban area in the United States would be well accepted by people who inject drugs, as the overwhelming majority of study participants reported willingness to use such a facility. People at high risk for overdose and people who contribute to the public burden of injection drug use were significantly more likely to be willing to use a SIF – suggesting that the ideal target population for supervised injection would be those most willing to use a SIF. The information can directly influence the policy, advocacy, and implementation of a SIF in the United States.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Harm Reduction Treatment for Smoking (HaRT-S): Findings from a Single-arm Pilot Study with Smokers Experiencing Chronic Homelessness

Nov 21, 2019 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Harm Reduction Treatment for Smoking (HaRT-S): Findings from a Single-arm Pilot Study with Smokers Experiencing Chronic Homelessness

Susan E. Collins, PhD; Lonnie A. Nelson, PhD; Joey Stanton; Nigel Mayberry, RN; Tatiana Ubay, BS; Emily M. Taylor, BS; Gail Hoffmann, BS; Silvi C. Goldstein, BA; Andrew J. Saxon, MD; Daniel K. Malone, MPH; Seema L. Clifasefi, PhD, MSW; Kolawole Okuyemi, MD, MPH; & The HaRT-S Community Advisory Board

Substance Abuse Vol. 40, Iss. 2, 2019

“This study is the first to examine initial feasibility, acceptability and smoking-related outcomes for explicitly harm-reduction counseling for smoking with support of safer nicotine delivery systems, including ENDS. Taken in context with the very few other smoking cessation treatment studies in homeless populations, HaRT-S findings indicated favorable initial feasibility and acceptability in a chronically homeless population. Additionally, participants evinced expected, significant, linear increases in likelihood of point-prevalence abstinence as well as decreases in smoking frequency and dependence on cigarettes over the 14-week follow-up. Participants who reported using ENDS were even more likely to report decreases in smoking intensity and cigarette dependence.“