KD Magazine

Whitney M.

November 21, 2008 - 9:17 PM

In the Journalism school, we have a few publications that are produced primarily by students. One of which is KD Magazine, and this term is the first term that I have participated in the creation of it. My assignment is to write about the clean needle exchange program that is hosted by the HIV Alliance in Eugene. Lane County's specific program is called the Sana Needle Exchange Program, and for the most part, its purpose is to diminish the transmission of blood-borne illnesses by providing sterile syringes to intravenous drug users. Studies have shown that this type of program, which is provided by nearly 200 services nationwide, does not increase the amount of drug use in communities but has reduced the number of new cases of diseases like Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

There is a little background for you, but the interesting part of all this is that I went as an observer last night on one of the exchanges. I chose a Thursday night because it is the night that most of the services are provided. There were three tables, a tent, and a van. The first table was the site of the biohazard boxes that held the used syringes and the location where people could pick up new needles, safer sex kits, and snacks. The second table was the location of the Hepatitis C testing, where people had their fingers pricked and blood tested on slips of paper. The tent housed a doctor who was available to treat abscesses. And the van is the station for HIV testing.

When we arrived, there was a man waiting under the bridge where the exchange is performed. He looked like the kind of man that one would expect to see there, his hair was messy, his clothes were thick and dark, and he was quiet while they set up. After the stations were ready, what seemed to be a family arrived in their SUV. There was a middle-old-aged man, a woman of about the same age and a young man who seemed to be about seventeen. His complexion was soft and smooth-he looked like someone I would sit next to in a history class. Then the woman who I assume was his mother answered her cell phone, which struck me as interesting because I was not expecting people to be driving, talking on cell phones or wearing wedding bands. But all of these things were present. The woman had a sense of humor about the whole situation, which might strike people as obsurd, but the way I see it, there are only so many ways to deal with this kind of situation, so if you are going to be participating, you might as well make it as comfortable as possible.

There were others, too; people whom you would expect to see. People came who could hardly speak anymore but were still interested in making sure that they do not contract potentially fatal diseases. For the most part, volunteers far outnumbered the clients. But there was a fantastic rapport between the volunteers and the clientele. Jeff Nichols, whose job it is to manage the exchange program, says that the most important thing about the exchanges is the trust that people develop for the program and the people who maintain it.

It was a very interesting experience, and I am on my way out the door to do another interview at the HIV Alliance. I am hoping to speak with a client who will be willing to share his or her experience with the program with the readers of KD Magazine. Overall, this story has given me a glimpse of a lifestyle that many Americans hold, but that I am unaware of on a daily basis. And that is what is so cool about being a journalist. We get to research and learn new things all the time, which is something many people don't have an opportunity to do once they graduate!