Guest Author
It might surprise you to know that Florida has the highest rate of new HIV infections of any state in the United States. In addition, Miami-Dade and Broward counties are ranked first and second, respectively, among U.S. counties for that same ugly statistic.
HIV/AIDS may have fallen from the headlines in recent years — and it certainly is no longer the pandemic that it once was — but the diseases have seen a resurgence in the U.S., and Florida, in particular, has fallen victim to that resurgence.
This Legislative Session, our state government appears to be finally about to take an important first step in combating new infections of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and other infectious diseases among drug users. That group is at particular risk for both contracting the diseases and spreading them to fellow users, their sexual partners, and emergency responders who might come in contact with their used syringes.
Sen. Oscar Braynon and I have been working on legislation to create a first-of-its-kind syringe exchange program with the University of Miami (where I am a resident physician) since 2013. This session, the bill that we first introduced three years ago, the “Miami-Dade Infectious Disease Elimination Act” (“IDEA”), looks like it’s on track to become law, thanks to Senator Braynon’s tireless work on the issue, as well as that from its House sponsor, Rep. Katie Edwards.
Syringe exchange programs save lives, period. Look no further than the diverse litany of organizations that support such programs to see validation of that point: the Florida and American Medical Associations, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Bar Association, and UNICEF, among many others.
While syringe exchanges were once controversial, that is no longer the case. Studies have shown that not only do exchanges not encourage drug use, for many users, these programs are their first step on the road to recovery and rehabilitation. Conservative legislatures in Kentucky and Indiana have both adopted syringe exchange programs in recent years. And the Republican Congress recently repealed the years-long ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs.
One factor that has made syringe exchange more commonplace is the support of law enforcement and first responders. Every day, police, firefighters and EMS workers are pricked with syringes in the line of duty. A study of police officers in Rhode Island showed that nearly 1-in-3 had been pricked at least once in the course of their careers.
The bill proposed by Senator Braynon and Representative Edwards, which sits on the precipice of passage this session, is only a pilot program and limited to Miami-Dade County. But it is a tremendous step forward for public health in Florida. In a recent letter to The Jacksonville Times-Union about combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in this state, Florida Surgeon General John Armstrong said, “public health is local” and urged for a “community-centered approach to tackle … HIV/AIDS.” That is precisely what Braynon and Edwards’ bill is — and one that, once implemented, can serve as an example to other communities throughout Florida.
I will be in Tallahassee this week, lobbying for the passage of this important legislation. As a physician, I’m usually the one in the position of saving lives. This week, I intend to tell members of the Florida House and Senate that the tables have temporarily turned, and the lives of many in South Florida are firmly in their hands. Despite this being my fourth session lobbying for this bill, I remain optimistic, not cynical, that our Legislature will do what is necessary to save lives in Florida.
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Dr. Hansel Tookes is a resident in internal medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He received his MD and MPH from University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.
