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Harm Reduction provides the lowest possible threshold services in order to meet the individual where they are at any given moment. Our Syringe Exchange program operates at four of our locations throughout Queens where we provide new clean syringes, condoms, a friendly ear and referrals to other services. Often we are the first step in an active user’s re-engagement with society.
There are two Harm Reduction Offices: one in Jamaica and the other in Far Rockaway. We focus on the HIV infected individual with a history of alcohol abuse or illicit drug use. Services include group and individual counseling, acupuncture, massage and case management. Educational seminars focus on substance abuse, medical, financial, legal and lifestyle issues in order to empower the person to take control of her or his own life. Our active programs of social and recreational activities allow participants to enjoy safe activities with other HIV infected persons and thus break through walls of loneliness and depression.
The Western Queens site is the location of our new Harm Reduction Youth Program. This innovative program is for youth under 24 years of age and will meet two evenings a week.
Referrals are made frequently, and always at the request of the client. Harm Reduction and Syringe Exchange remain important milestones in a life moving from chaos to control and to connection with others.
Jamaica
Dennis Camacho
718-739-2525
Far Rockaway
Jacques Beauchamp
718-868-8645
Western Queens
Terrel Blair
October 2007
Queens Syringe Access Program
347-723-7222
Syringe Exchange Programs are meant to help stop the spread of HIV, Hepatitis C, and other illnesses that are passed through blood. People who share needles are at risk of spreading or catching these illnesses. When HIV or Hepatitis C invade a community, everyone can be affected, not just those who share needles. Syringe Exchange is meant to protect people who use needles, and also their kids, husbands, wives, sexual partners, and others. We do this by giving out safe, sterile needles and other injection equipment, and by collecting used needles for proper disposal. Our goal is to make it possible for everyone who injects to use brand new equipment every time they inject.
Q. How does the program work?
A. Participants bring used syringes to the program, and trade them for clean ones. Each person who uses the service is issued an anonymous ID card to show that they can carry used syringes legally. We don’t ask for your name, address, or any other identifying information, because services are anonymous. Each person gets a unique code instead. We’re open five days a week, and no one needs an appointment to come in. When a people show up, they can sit for a while, have some coffee, and talk with our staff, if they like. They can get condoms, female condoms, and other safer sex and safer injection supplies. We’ll help them find food, shelter, or other things they might need. We also provide information about how to keep safe from overdose, HIV, abscesses, and other health problems. It’s that simple.
Q. Who can use the program?
A. Anyone who uses syringes can use the syringe exchange. That includes people who are diabetic and use injection insulin, people who inject hormones, and anyone else who uses syringes, in addition to people who inject street drugs.
Q. Doesn't giving people clean needles encourage them to use drugs?
A. For some people, taking care of their health by using sterile syringes is one step in the direction of quitting drugs. Those people can find help through syringe exchange programs, which often provide counseling, support, and help getting into drug treatment. There are other people who never choose to stop using drugs. That’s a reality, no matter how much we’d like things to be different. We believe that everyone deserves the chance to take care of their health and live as safely as possible, and that’s why we provide clean needles. There have been many studies that examine syringe exchanges, and there’s never been any evidence that they cause increased drug use.
Q. Will a syringe exchange in my neighborhood bring a lot of needles into the streets?
A. Syringe exchange can help clean up the syringes in a neighborhood. If you find a syringe in the street, call us. We will come collect it so it can be disposed of safely. Also, when someone can trade in their used needles for brand new clean ones, he or she is more likely to keep needles instead of throwing them away. This makes the neighborhood safer for everyone.
Q. Is it legal to give out syringes?
A. Yes, it is legal for authorized programs to distribute syringes. Since 1992, New York State has allowed syringe exchange. Each group that wants to start offering the service must be approved through a rigorous process that involves consulting with people in the neighborhood to create a plan that works for everyone. Once the plan is approved and put into action, a syringe exchange is carefully monitored by the Department of Health AIDS Institute, to make sure that safety standards are being met. Also, it’s legal for certain pharmacies to sell a limited number of syringes to anyone over 18.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS. We're eager to hear from you.
Queens Syringe Access Program
347-723-7222
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