Randomized, Community-Based Pharmacy Intervention to Expand Services Beyond Sale of Sterile Syringes to Injection Drug Users in Pharmacies in New York City

• DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2012.301178
• Publication Date: 2013-07-18T19:55:56Z
• Authors: Natalie D. Crawford; Silvia Amesty; Alexis V. Rivera; Katherine Harripe...; Alezandria Turner; Crystal M. Fuller
• Keywords: Needle-Exchange Programs; Pharmacies; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Syringes; AIDS Serodiagnosis; Humans; HIV Infections; New York City; Substance Abuse, Intravenous; 3. Good health

Structural interventions may help reduce racial/ethnic disparities in HIV. In 2009 to 2011, we randomized pharmacies participating in a nonprescription syringe access program in minority communities to intervention (pharmacy enrolled and delivered HIV risk reduction information to injection drug users [IDUs]), primary control (pharmacy only enrolled IDUs), and secondary control (pharmacy did not engage IDUs). Intervention pharmacy staff reported more support for syringe sales than did control staff. An expanded pharmacy role in HIV risk reduction may be helpful.