Paola Barahona, MPH, is Senior Global Health Policy Advocate with Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) where she directs their Harm Reduction Campaign, which advocates for the United States Government’s adoption and implementation of health policies that are evidence-based, rights-based, practical, and appropriate for injecting and other drug users. Barahona co-chairs the Injection Drug Use Working Group of the Global AIDS Roundtable, and is Community Co-Chair of the Washington, DC HIV Prevention Community Planning Group. She is also a steering committee member of the National Syringe Exchange Policy Coalition and the DC Syringe Access Working Group, and a member of the Harm Reduction Coalition. Prior to joining PHR, Barahona was founding Executive Director (1998-2007) of PreventionWorks, the harm reduction and needle exchange program in the District of Columbia.
Last Friday, Congressman David Obey (D-WI), took the first — and courageous — step to end the 20-year ban on federal funding of needle exchange. But opponents are gearing up to reinstate the ban and prevention advocates need to mobilize now.
President Obama has repeatedly expressed his support for lifting the ban on federal funding of needle exchange programs. So why it is still in his 2010 budget?
