Reference no: EM133371241

Case Study: Injection drug use involving opioids, heroin, and fentanyl-class drugs have dramatically increased in the United States in the last decade. Drug overdose deaths, including those involving prescription opioids and heroin, have more than quadrupled in the United States since 1999. Synthetic opioids, particularly illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), have driven the biggest increase in overdose deaths from 2014 to 2017. In 2015, both the DEA and the CDC issued nationwide alerts identifying illicitly manufactured fentanyl as a threat to public health and safety. In 2017, Florida heroin deaths had increased by 72% from 2014 (549 to 944) and fentanyl deaths had increased over 224% (538 to 1,743) during this time period.

Many strategies have been discussed to decrease opioid related overdoses and deaths including severely limiting prescriptions, having safe places for drug users and needle exchange, providing naloxone in the community for quicker overdose reversal, using medication assisted treatment with buprenorphine and many other strategies.

This case study also introduces the use of Photovoice which is a qualitative method used for community-based participatory research to document and reflect what is happening in people's daily lives. It is an empowering and flexible process that combines photography with grassroots social action to depict key health or social issues that individuals struggle with in their lives or community.

Questions:

• Discuss why you think providing needles and safe places for injection drug users to shoot up is or is not a viable option for harm reduction in Jacksonville.
• Discuss how the stigma of injection drug use leads to health inequity and punitive approaches to address drug addiction.
• How would an advocacy approach help reduce stigma and increase empathy for those struggling with addiction?