TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager establish and implement the Disease Prevention and Demonstration Project for the City of Long Beach through December 31, 2010, in accordance with Senate Bill 1159 (Vasconcellos, Chapter 608, Statutes of 2004), enabling access to non-prescription pharmacy-based sterile syringes as an effective means for reducing transmission of blood borne pathogens (HIV, Hepatitis C and other blood borne infections) among injection drug users (IDUs).
DISCUSSION
With a cumulative incidence rate of 1184.99 AIDS cases per 100,000 residents (1981 through June 30, 2007), Long Beach's AIDS incidence rate per capita is 100 percent higher than the incidence rate for all of Los Angeles County (551.12 cases per 100,000) and more than double the rate for the State of California overall (430.65 cases per 100,000), indicating that AIDS continues to be a significant public health issue in the City of Long Beach.
In California, injection drug use is associated with 19% of cumulative AIDS cases and it is estimated that over 1,500 incident HIV cases are attributed to injection drug use annually. An estimated 600,000 Californians are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) with approximately 5,000 incident cases occurring annually. At least 60% of prevalent HCV cases and nearly all-incident cases are attributed to injection drug use. In Long Beach, 6% of adult male AIDS cases and 32% of adult female AIDS cases is due to injection drug use and an additional 10% is due to both male to male sexual transmission and injection drug use (cumulative data through June 2007). Injection drug users are at highest risk of contracting and transmitting Hepatitis Band C. The link between injection drug use and HIV transmission is particularly strong for women and minorities. The potential for spreading AIDS, Hepatitis C and other serious blood borne infections is great, but numerous case studies from other states indicate that sales of sterile syringes are an effective means of reducing the rate of transmission of blood borne pathogens among injection drug users.
SB 1159 was signed into law in September 2004, creating the Disease Prevention Demonstration Project for the period of January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2010. This is a collaboration between pharmacists, local and state health officials through which local licensed pharmacists will be allowed to sell or furnish 10 or fewer hypodermic needles or syringes to a person for human use, provided the pharmacy is registered with a local health department for participation in the Disease Prevention Demonstration Project. Prior to the signing of SB 1159, California was one of only five states requiring a prescription in order to purchase a syringe, contributing to the state's high rates of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C.
In terms of used syringe disposal, the Long Beach Health Department is working with local health providers who wish to enter into an MOU requiring the proper measures for collection and disposal of used syringes. As an example, Choices Recovery Services has agreed to join the CARE Program and Center for Behavioral Research and Services (CSULB) in becoming a safe needle collection site. In addition, the Health Department clinic and mobile testing van will serve as safe disposal sites. The Health Department will provide ongoing outreach to health service related groups in hopes of adding additional safe disposal sites in the future.
The Disease Prevention Demonstration Project will help our local health officials and pharmacies provide a safe and controlled means for distributing sterile syringes. The program is anticipated to help reduce the rate of transmitted blood borne pathogens in our community of injection drug users, thus reducing the costs of health services necessary to treat these conditions. Our participation will provide valuable information to State health officials to determine whether to continue to the program beyond 2010.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
SUJA LOWENTHAL, SECOND DISTRICT
DEE ANDREWS, SIXTH DISTRICT