Graduation Date

5-2019

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Nursing

Director of the Honors Program

Lynn Sondag, MFA

First Reader

Kathleen Beebe, PhD, RNC-OB

Second Reader

Olivia Catolico, PhD, MS, RN, CNL, BC

Abstract

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “In 2016, a total of 63,632 persons in the United States died from drug overdoses; the age-adjusted rate was 19.8 deaths per 100,000 persons.” There have been countless programs with the sole purpose of reducing the amount of drug related deaths. Some with positive outcomes and others with negative outcomes. Since there is no feasible method of eradicating the problem as a whole, the next logical thing to do would to be creating effect prevention programs.

Safe Injection Facilities (SIFs) have been around for over three decades. They are widespread across Europe and most recently Vancouver, Canada. Multiple studies have been done to determine whether these SIFs are effective in reducing the number of drug related overdose and deaths, preventing the spread of blood borne infections like HIV and Hepatitis, and determining whether the establishment of SIFs are cost-effective.

The main purpose of this project is to bring more awareness to Safe Injection Facilities as a viable alternative drug rehabilitation program in the United States and to review studies done throughout the world to determine whether the establishment of a SIF in the United States is actually feasible and to determine whether or not SIFs are truly effective.

COinS