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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