I volunteered at the Seattle Needle Exchange Program for two months during the winter of 2006. It was an eye opening experience. I went in with some preconceived notions about what to expect and I came away from the experience a much better health care provider. Many of the population who utilize the services are IV drug users who homeless, but there is also another group that are wealthy or using heroin or meth as a recreational drug. I think some of the best things I learned was about how unsuccessful I am as a communicator. I know that I am a good listener, but a health care provider who elicits trust and really communicates is what I needed to learn. Two months was barely an innitiation into the realm of effective communication. Also I learned that addiction has a huge social component to it. Many users came in with their significant others who used with them. Many users were homeless but they knew just about everyone who walked through the door. Homeless people are a tight community. As a pharmacist I know that the people who utilize the exchange would have used drugs no matter but the fact that we gave them clean syringes in exchange for the used ones is really reassuring. In my pharmacy I will sell syringes no matter what the intended use because the dirty ones are easy to find but the clean ones have to be sought out. It was a very good experience and I relished every moment I was there.
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