- http://newamericamedia.org/2012/07/discarded-syringes-a-growing-health-hazard-in-miami.php#
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erin-n-marcus-md/watch-your-step-there-mig_b_1705599.html
Provide names of other journalists involved.
None – submitted as a freelancer, no edits other than the headline and the photo, which were chosen by the editor.
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
26-Jul-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
The article discusses the problem of used syringes on the street in Miami, which has more than 10,000 injection drug users. A recent article in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence estimated that, on average, inner city Miami has 371 used syringes per 1000 blocks, versus 44 for every 1000 blocks in the most drug-affected areas of San Francisco. The study was the first to compare improper syringe disposal in a city with versus a city without a needle exchange program, and its authors contend that Florida’s strict drug paraphernalia laws are responsible for their findings. They also surveyed injection drug users in both cities and found that users in Miami were 34 times more likely to throw their needles away unsafely than users in San Francisco.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I read numerous academic articles, mostly from epidemiology journals, as well as legal statutes. I used information from the websites of the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Florida Department of Health. I obtained data upon request (though not a formal FOI) from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and the U.S. Health Services and Research Administration. These sources improved my understanding of the ethical and legal issues involved in syringe exchange, the history of syringe exchange programs in the U.S., and how syringe programs are funded.
Explain types of human sources used.
I interviewed several injection drug users in Miami, as well as research epidemiologists, legal scholars, and officials at the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and the U.S. Health Services and Research Administration. I spoke with syringe exchange program officials in San Francisco and officials at the Coalition for Safe Community Needle Disposal and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS directors. I interviewed needle exchange opponents in order to gain a perspective on the flaws in the research. I accompanied one of the researchers on a syringe-finding expedition under the highway overpasses in some of Miami’s lowest income neighborhoods.
Results:
The story subsequently appeared on the websites of The Huffington Post and KevinMD. Shortly after it appeared, the Florida Medical Association adopted a resolution supporting legislation to introduce a pilot project for a needle exchange program in the state. Medical students involved in lobbying the FMA said that the article had helped them galvanize support for the resolution.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
“You did such a great job capturing both the human and the complicated scientific issues. Thank you for helping to contribute to the public awareness and the policy debate, especially at a time that the FLA legislature is considering these issues.” – Alex Kral, epidemiologist with the Research Triangle Institute. No one has challenged its accuracy.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
This article required a significant amount of background research in order for me to understand the complicated public health and ethical issues associated with syringe exchange. It took a while for me to find injection drug users who were willing to go on the record, but those interviews were important in giving this story a human angle. Going out on a syringe-finding expedition was also important so that I could describe what the researchers found.