Helping to turn addicts into solid citizens and reducing sexually transmitted diseases are the noble tasks of syringe exchanges throughout the world.
But here in Lancaster, the government and Lancaster General Hospital take a hands off approach.
So some of us are distressed to encounter diseased loved ones and we pay higher medical costs to offset Medicaid losses and higher taxes for the social safety net and go blithely on our ways.
Not providing care and guidance to heroin addicts, of which we have from 5,000 to 10,000 in the county, doesn’t make sense either financially or morally.
Tell it to LGH. Tell it to the Commissioners. Tell it to the Lancaster Newspapers. Let your voices be heard!
August 2011 Monthly Syringe Exchange Report For Central PA City
Twenty-four participants were tested for HIV in August.
August 2011 Report
Total contacts: 388
Total IDU contacts: 326
Total unduplicated IDU contacts: 266
Syringes: 3320
Condoms distributed: Male- 2432, Female-54, Dental Dams-42 Finger Cots-60
Demographics of unduplicated IDU contacts:
African American male: 41
White Male: 39
Latino: 74
African American female: 27
White female: 47
Latina: 38
We completed 258 referrals for various services.
This month, as a result of our 87 total D&A referrals, six participants entered into drug treatment facilities. This indicates those of whom we are aware; there may be additional entries of which we are not aware.
