Every day, 10 Pennsylvanians are lost to substance use disorder. This disease can affect any individual and threatens entire communities within the commonwealth. Pennsylvania has the third highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the country and the ninth highest rate of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noted that Pennsylvania is one of the states at risk for increases in HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections.
When needles are in short supply, injection drug users will share their needles. The sharing of syringes is fueling the spread of these diseases across the commonwealth. Hospitalizations in the U.S. for substance use-related infections cost over $700 million each year and Pennsylvania bears a significant portion of that cost. Having seen firsthand the ravages of this disorder, it is hard not to advocate for these marginalized patients.