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Cost effectiveness of Syringe Exchange Programs |
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In a study done in 2001 that cost effectiveness of Syringe Exchange Programs were examined within New York State. For a twelve month period seven programs reported a combined incurred cost of $1,822,426 “for personal and other than personal service costs of operation, including syringe exchange and other required services ( i.e. condom distribution) as well as ancillary services. (Cost Effectiveness of Syringe Exchange as an HIV Prevention Strategy 3) “From the SEP perspective, an estimated 87 HIV infections would be averted across all programs because of the reduction in risk resulting from the use of syringe exchange.” (Cost-Effectiveness of Syringe Exchange as an HIV Prevention Strategy 5)The estimated cost of lifetime treatment for HIV related medical care is more than $155,000.(Updates of costs of illness and quality of life estimates for use in economic evaluation of HIV prevention programs 1) If looking at this on a solitary program basis the “median cost per HIV infection averted was $41,011 for the program averting two infections.” (Updates of cost of illness and quality of life estimates for use in economic evaluation of HIV prevention programs 5) Clearly New York state should funnel more money into programs such as these and having them in more varied locations. Treatment Costs for New York State The average cost per hospital stay in 1993 was $16,083.(7 pg133) The average length of stay for an HIV/Aids patient was 16.1 days. (7.pg108) To offset the rising costs for HIV/AIDS treatment New York state has implemented three HIV Uninsured Care Programs: 1) AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) 2) ADAP plus for ambulatory care 3) The HIV Home Care Program (3 pg 104)
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