The Biden administration will spend $1 million next year to fund research on how to train addicts to distribute rapid COVID-19 tests to other addicts.
The project brief notes that “people who inject drugs” are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 epidemic due to “structural disadvantage, poor health, and stigma that prevent adequate access to health care.” This issue is addressed by “facilitating rapid testing by people who inject drugs (PWID) through a supported employment program that trains PWID as peer health workers.”
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The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and conducted by the University of Oregon, began on December 1 and will last about two years. Efforts to distribute COVID tests to drug-affected communities have been previously explored in brief notes, but more information is needed on the distribution of rapid tests.
“Rapid tests may provide an advantage over PCR tests for PWID who face systemic vulnerabilities, such as homelessness and lack of access to technology, so that they can receive real-time results and quickly connect to needed resources,” the conclusion states.
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Biden Administration Denies Crack Pipe Funding in Harm Reduction Program.
(Reuters/David Ryder)
The NIH funding is part of a larger “harm reduction” effort by the Biden administration to reduce the risks associated with drug use instead of reducing drug use. NIH funded another study this year that placed harm-reduction vending machines containing drugs in rural Kentucky.
REPORT ON CRACKED PIPES IN SMOKING KITS RETURNS SPECIFIC TO FEDERAL REGULATION
President Biden shakes hands with his son Hunter Biden
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The Department of Health and Human Services launched the first federal harm reduction program this year, providing $30 million in grants to help distribute drugs. The program includes funding for “smoking kits,” which often contain crack pipes. However, the agency said pipelines are prohibited in its program, which was emphasized in meetings with each grantee.