Safe Needles Save Lives
2016
This case highlights the harm reduction practices of providing clean needles and syringes to prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases among drug users in Ontario, Canada. It considers a needle exchange program effort in collaboration with a homeless prevention program that aimed to keep public areas free of discarded needles. When a six-year-old boy got a needle stick injury in a public toilet in 2014, the resulting public panic sparked public discussion to improve existing efforts. The case helps students to understand project details and review the comparative landscape of community programs, policies, and activities related to needle/syringe disposal.
The case includes guidance for instructors, including learning objectives and discussion questions. It is the sixth in an 11-case collection written by students in the MPH class of the Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health at Western University, Canada. The cases may be freely copied and used for educational purposes by an accredited educational institution.
Source:
Li Z et al. Safe Needles Save Lives. Western Public Health Casebook. Public Health Casebook Publishing 2016. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/westernpublichealthcases/vol2016/iss1/12.