Date of Award

Summer 8-2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

Central Coast HIV & AIDS Services (CCHAS) is a nonprofit organization that currently administers the only syringe exchange program in Monterey County as a part of its HIV prevention program. State and local public funding for HIV prevention purposes has been drastically reduced, and CCHAS may no longer be able to fund the syringe exchange program. The use of syringe exchange programs is endorsed by many national and international organizations as effective strategies for preventing the transmission of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among intravenous drug users (IDUs) and to encourage proper syringe disposal by IDUs. This study reviewed the syringe disposal habits among IDUs in Monterey County, and concludes that the abandonment of the Monterey County syringe exchange program would result in an increased amount of syringes being disposed of improperly. This study provides four recommendations based on the responses of key informant interviews with Monterey and Santa Cruz County public health officials, surveys of other California county public health officials, questionnaire data collected from syringe exchange program participants and secondary data analysis. First, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors should provide $45K of funding immediately to enhance the syringe exchange program. Second, the Monterey County Public Health and Environmental Health Departments should provide additional proper disposal options for IDUs in the form of kiosks and public drop-off sites. Third, Monterey County Public Health should begin an educational campaign to inform policy makers and the public about the benefits of syringe access for IDUs. Finally, the Board of Supervisors should convene a task force to devise and implement a comprehensive syringe services program to reduce the incidence of HIV and viral hepatitis infections in Monterey County.

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