Needle exchange programs and their impact on HIV incidence in West Virginia: Is it working?

ABSTRACT

The opioid epidemic has had a strong impact on West Virginia, due to various social, economic, cultural, and environmental hardships. To aid users, Needle Exchange Programs (NEPs) were created to exchange used needles for new sterile ones and provide awareness of treatment and rehabilitation options. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of NEPs in reducing HIV and Hepatitis C infections in West Virginia, and the subsequent decrease in healthcare costs. In 2018 and 2019, there was an HIV outbreak in Cabell County, with 85 cases requiring CDC intervention in 2019. This occurred after the county-run needle exchange was reduced. Kanawha County also shut down its NEPs in 2018, followed by another HIV outbreak between 1 January 2019 and 13 March 2021, with 65 people testing positive for HIV linked to injection drug use, which required CDC intervention. To rehabilitate the opioid addict population, research on relapse, quality of life, social inclusion, stable housing, habilitation, and treatment adherence should be conducted. Policymakers should also revise existing policies surrounding the provision of harm reduction services to document adequate procedures for SSP procedures. This research suggests that suspending and scaling down NEPs in West Virginia has increased HIV/HCV incidence.

KEYWORDS:

• Hepatitis C
• HIV
• Needle Exchange Programs
• opioids
• syringe service programs
• West Virginia

Acknowledgments

We want to acknowledge Anthony Uriate and Stacie Deslich for their contributions to previous versions of this manuscript. Their contribution is greatly appreciated, and we sincerely thank them for their collaboration and support throughout this endeavor.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amber Graves

Amber Graves and Katie Durrie, Healthcare Administration Program, Management and Healthcare Administration Division, Lewis College of Business, Marshall University, USA.

Thomas Norton

Thomas Norton, Accounting and Legal Environment Division, Lewis College of Business, Marshall University, USA.

Alberto Coustasse

Alberto Coustasse, Healthcare Administration Program, Management and Healthcare Administration Division, Lewis College of Business, Marshall University, USA.