10-pages-essay
John.Quality
professor-feedback.zipImmigration1-answer-submitted-to-professor.docx
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Introduction
About 40 million people living in the United States as of 2017 are immigrants! This is according to a research done by Pew Research center in a report released las year. This statistic accounts for about a fifth of the global number of immigrants and is such a big number. What then causes these immigration numbers to be numerous? Are all of them legal? What happens to those who are not illegally approved into the county? All these are questions often asked by different people who are stakeholders in the issue which has ben seen to cause a lot of controversy in the country in the recent years (Czaika, et al., 2013). To the immigrants however, immigration is an important aspect in one’s life. Immigration poses a number of impacts both negative and positive on the immigrants themselves and on the societies that migrants move to.
Migrating into a society of different cultural practices and customs including different languages requires adopting into the various cultural practices (Abrajano, et al., 2017). Through the process of assimilating oneself with the cultural practices of this new society, one is in a position to learn the importance of the different cultural practices. This enables appreciation of diverse cultures and accommodation of such practices into our own practices. Through this process also, one is in a position to learn the language of the community.
This provides an opportunity to the individual as he or she will be better positioned to understand the individuals’ cultural practices in addition to their language. A person who knows a particular culturally diverse community is valuable in ambassadorial jobs and in fields that require negotiations. With the understanding of a culture, comes the better position to reach a consensus with the people from that culture and from this logic comes the value and applicability of immigration in providing opportunities.
In the quest for culturally diverse and inclusive global communities, Immigration acts as one of the most important driving factors. In the process of immigration to new places, there are chances that there are cultural differences between the native population and the new population among which the immigrant tends to reside. In the process of settlement, the immigrant will be mandated to adapt to the new way of living and adopt the cultural practices of the population among whom he or she now lives.
During this process of adoption of new cultural practices and societal norms, one understands the significance of these customs and practices. For instance, a Chinese migrating to the United States of America is likely to find a different culture in terms of the meals being eaten. In contrast to China where dogs are a delicacy, they are treated humanely as pets in America. This is a culture that the Chinese immigrant has to adopt so as to live in harmony with the new population among which he or she is now a member. In adoption of this culture however, they have to understand why such practices are done the way they are. In this case, they will try to understand why a dog is kept as a pet and not considered a meal. In so doing, one learns to appreciate the culture of these people.
This leads to the second aspect, inclusion. By learning the ways of other cultures and understanding the rationale behind each action and practice for example, the immigrant can accommodate these people. With the knowledge of why particular cultures and practices are important to a particular community, inclusion becomes possible. This is significant in ensuring diversity and inclusion in the global community (Carens & Joseph, 2013).
Negative stereotyping attitudes result in negative treatment of immigrants in the new societies they migrate into. For example, the notion that immigration is connected with crime results in negative attitudes. The negative mindset in the society that immigration leads to increased crime rates results in negative attitudes towards immigrants. This will result in a situation where immigrants migrating into a society will receive poor treatment from their native counterparts.
Immigrant members who resort to crime help shape negative attitudes of natives towards immigration in general. For example, if members of a particular immigrant community decide to resort in stealing from members of the new community, the members of the community will, have a negative attitude towards that immigrant group. The act of some individual members of an immigrant community will have shaped the attitude of natives towards immigration. This will result in the poor relationship between the two groups of people.
Men carrying “MIGRANTS NOT WELCOME” banner in peaceful protest. Digital image. The Economist. 30 June 2018. Web 12 April 2020. < https://www.economist.com/europe/2018/06/30/confusion-over-immigration-and-crime-is-roiling-european-politics >
Coxt and Milestt in Policing immigration state that “The program’s goal is simple: to check the immigration status of every single person arrested by local police anywhere in the country” (Cox, et al., 2013). This statement explains the goal of Secure Communities. The increase in rates of robbery with violence for example, led to commissioning of the program. Secure communities will negatively impact on the immigrants as they will be exposed to constant fear that any violation of laws of any kind could warrant their labelling as criminals and as a result lead to consequences such as jail terms or even deportation. The state of living in fear is a negative impact on the lives of the immigrants.
The immigration process has a negative impact on the health impact on the lives of the immigrants. For instance, immigrants relocating to cultures that have nutritional foods that are different from their native foods and nutritional needs could suffer health related impacts. The little knowledge by healthcare practitioners on nutritional needs of immigrant groups prevents effective development of individualized healthcare promotion plans that involve nutritional needs. The little knowledge by healthcare practitioners as to the cultures of the immigrants and their nutritional practices make it difficult to come up with effective plans of treatment and as a result, lead to inadequate healthcare provision to the immigrants.
Castaneda, et al., in Immigration as a social determinant of health assert that “heightened immigration enforcement in recent years including historic trends of deportation has resulted in negative impacts on health and well-being” (Castañeda & Heide, 2015). For example, poor living standards that immigrants are exposed to before settling in in their new societies contribute to health effects on the immigrants. Poor feeding habits and general environment of living including hygienic factors of the living environments of immigrants are poor and as a result contribute to healthcare problems that immigrants face while relocating to new geographical locations. This results in deteriorated health of individual immigrants, a negative impact on their wellbeing.
Apart from the impacts that immigration has on the immigrants, there are impacts that the process has on the societies to which immigrants are relocating. One such impact on the society is explained by Dustmann and Frattini in their publication The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK. Stating that “immigrants from European Economic Area have made a positive fiscal contribution” (Dustmann et al, 2014). The article explains the impact that immigration has had in the country between 1995 and 2011 period. According to the results obtained from the findings This is one of the positive impacts that the society has had on the economy of the country to which the immigrants relocate. However, the findings also indicate that other groups that are non-EEA have had a negative impact on the fiscal contribution. This is as a result of increase in crime rates for instance which is a negative contribution to the economy.
Immigrants moving into the new communities results in the sharing of job opportunities among members of that community with the immigrants. For example, with the immigration of Chinese in the US in the post war period, there was an outcry among Irish settlers that they were providing cheap labor and thus a preference to economists. With the immigration of new mebmers into a community with same number of opportunities, the result is competition for job opportunities. This results in lowered revenue for the native members of this community and this negatively impacts on the society.
Dustmann, Frattini and Pretson in The effects of Immigration along the distribution of Wages affirm that “immigration depresses wages below the 20th percentile of wage distribution” (Dustmann et al, 2013). This is an example of an instance where the native community suffers the impact of immigrants moving into their society. Through the depression of wages of the native communities through the sharing of the job opportunities, the average living standards of the natives suffers a loss. This is a negative impact on the societies through which immigrants move to and could result in the negative attitudes that members of the society could have towards immigrants.
Fairlie and Lofstrom in the article Immigration and Entrepreneurship state that “Immigrants are widely perceived as being highly entrepreneurial and important for economic growth and innovations” (Fairlie, et al., 2015). Immigrants are important in economic growth of a country. For instance, the arrival of Asian investors in the US opened up the area for development and thus economic rise and stability of the country. Since immigrants relocate in search of better working conditions and opportunities, they are incorporated into the business industries and corporate environments where they setup businesses. In the process this leads to improvement of a particular country’s economy. The business environment of the United States for example is highly consistent of people from different diversities all whom contribute to the overall economic growth of the country. This improvement of the economy of a society to which immigrants relocate and invest businesses in serves as a positive impact of immigration on a society.
Immigration into a new society could lead to the development of infrastructure in that society. Gonzalez and Ortega in Immigration and Housing Booms: Evidence from Spain, state that “overall, immigration was responsible for one quarter of the increase in prices and about half of the construction activity over the decade” (Gonzalez, et al., 2013). With the immigration, comes the need for more inhabitation for the new population and the result of this is that there will be increased profitability in the building and construction industry. Increased demand for houses comes as a result of increase in immigration numbers and this means that house owners and mortgage companies will have increased booming business. The increase in the number of houses being built and being leased to new owners results in a society with more improved infrastructure.
Immigrants bring with them new cultures into the cultures of the existing natives in the process of immigration. Hainmueller and Hopkins in Public attitudes toward immigration state that “immigration attitudes are shaped by sociotropic concerns about its cultural impacts.” (Hainmueller, et al., 2014) The extensive drinking and substance abuse by the Haitians in the United States for example is not well received by the white population who see this as immoral. Introduction of new cultures by immigrants that is considered not befitting by the natives impacts both on the society and on the immigrants. On the society, immoral practices are a hinderance to the bringing up of children in a moral and straight up manner. This thus shapes a negative attitude by the natives of a community against the immigrant groups and thus consequently impact negatively on the relationships between them and the natives.
The impacts of immigration are both positive and negative. The positive impact’s need to be dwelt much on while the negative impacts need mitigation strategies with the aim of reducing the negative impacts. Some of the strategies to mitigate the impacts of immigration include but are not limited to developing positive attitudes towards immigrants, developing support systems for immigrants and providing healthcare for the immigrants.
Developing positive attitudes towards immigration groups will enable reduction of negative impacts of immigration. For instance, to develop a positive attitude towards immigration as a process and immigrants, people need to understand that immigrant groups do not necessarily have similar characteristics in terms of behavior. Some of them are honest and hardworking individuals who are after better living standards. With this kind of mindset, there can be development of new positive attitudes that will enable better reception of the immigration groups by the native communities to which the immigrants are moving.
Political leaders and mass media can help reduce negative impacts of immigration. For example, through the sentiments made by political leaders and mass media on the association of immigration with crime among other antagonizing sentiments, public attitudes are formed. This can be used to the advantage of the immigrants if politicians and the members of the mass media use positive sentiments about the immigrants. They need to point out that immigrants have some importance to the country and that not all of them share the same characteristics. Through this strategy, the public will learn to acknowledge the positive contribution of the immigrants and shape their attitudes towards appreciating them.
Secondly, creating support systems for immigrants can reduce the negative impacts of immigration to the societies in which they migrate into. Examples of support systems that can be created for immigrants include providing them with legal documents, helping them acquire settlement and jobs. With the creation of support systems, there will be reduction in the number of unemployed immigrants who will resort to crime and violence. The significance of this is that, there will be no correlation of immigration to crime and with increased immigration, there will be no fear by the native communities about increase in crime as a consequence.
Creating support systems for immigrants can result in positive attitudes by natives of a community towards immigration. With the creation of job opportunities to cater for immigrating groups for example, there will be no competition for job opportunities between the natives of a community and the immigrating groups. Creating job opportunities that cater for the needs of immigrants works to shape the attitudes of natives more positively towards immigrants because they will no longer see them as competitors but as members of the society who are also working to earn honest livings. This will work in a great way to ensure that the members of a community perceive immigration as a good thing.
Support systems for immigrants can help in mitigation of health-related impacts of immigration. Provision of temporary settlement areas with hygienic conditions to immigrants for example will eliminate the chances of contracting communicable diseases. With the setting up of hygienic conditions for settlement, immigrants will have better living conditions as they wait to fit in to the society. This will eliminate immigration as a social determinant of health to the immigrants as they will not contract communicable diseases easily. The significance of this is that the immigrants will not face health related impacts in the process of immigration.
Finally, provision of better healthcare to immigrants can reduce negative health related impacts of immigration on the individuals. Studying ethnic dietary needs, cultures and customs and their impacts on heath care of immigrant groups for example will enable better understanding of their dietary habits. With the better understanding of healthcare and dietary needs of the immigrant groups, better healthcare promotion plans with dietary needs in consideration will be provided to the immigrants. The result of this is that there will be reduced instances of immigrants going through health-related negative impacts while in their new societies of relocation.
Conclusion
Immigration to and from different countries in the globe has increased in the recent years with United States being the most preferred destination by immigrants. This increased frequency in the movement of people from all over the world to different destinations can be attributed to the fact that there are more efficient transport systems.
The main reason for immigration in most cases is the search for better jobs and living standards for the immigrants. This is the possible explanation as to why US is the most preferred destination receiving almost a fifth of the total immigration numbers. With immigration, there comes both positive and negative impacts. These impacts affect the immigrant lives and also affect the societies to which these immigrants are migrating.
To begin with, the positive impacts of immigration to the immigrants include opportunities to learn new cultures and practices which could open doors for them as business negotiators or ambassadors. The possibility of being included in the workforce of the foreign country gives the immigrants an opportunity for better living standards and better working conditions. On the side of the society to which immigrants are moving, positive benefits include growth of the economy resulting from the immigrants being involved in the workforce. Another positive influence is that there will be increased infrastructure, for instance houses to accommodate these individuals who are migrating to the society and thus infrastructure development.
On the other hand, immigration poses negative impacts on the immigrants as well as on the societies in which immigrants migrate. The negative impacts of migration to the immigrants into a new society include being victims of negative stereotyping attitudes. Given the negative pasts of immigration, new immigrants arrive to a society that already has formed a negative attitude towards them and this acts as a negative impact. Another negative impact is inefficient healthcare provision conditions resulting from inadequate knowledge on the cultures and practices of the immigrant groups. The immigrants also suffer poor relationships between them and the members of the new society resulting from them being seen as competitors in their economies.
In the societies where the immigrants migrate, the negative impacts include having to share the workforce with the immigrants leading to lowered living standards of the native communities. Another effect is infiltration of their cultures with other unpleasant cultures which pollutes their customs and beliefs. Finally, increased rate of crime that results from increased immigration activities threatens their safety and overall well-being. All of these negative impacts can be mitigated through provision of support systems, formation of positive attitudes towards immigration and provision of more reliable healthcare services.
Works Cited
Abrajano, Marisa, and Zoltan L. Hajnal. White backlash: Immigration, race, and American politics. Princeton University Press, 2017. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3DFRDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP7&dq=immigration&ots=y11IjRjxJV&sig=2peJdEVg_kPuZFW_4O5jDIC4vzU Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Bell, Brian, Francesco Fasani, and Stephen Machin. "Crime and immigration: Evidence from large immigrant waves." Review of Economics and statistics 21.3 (2013): 1278-1290. https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/REST_a_00337 Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Carens, Joseph. The ethics of immigration. Oxford University Press, 2013. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Hck4AAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=immigration&ots=TKYfpjaGdm&sig=NwI1WbEsZaIFsiCT7yqeIUncTRo Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Castañeda, Heide. "Immigration as a social determinant of health." Annual review of public health 36 (2015): 375-392. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182419 Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Cox, Adam B., and Thomas J. Miles. "Policing immigration." U. Chi. L. Rev. 80 (2013): 87. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/uclr80§ion=8 Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Czaika, Mathias, and Hein De Haas. "The effectiveness of immigration policies." Population and Development Review 39.3 (2013): 487-508. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2013.00613.x .Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Dustmann, Christian, and Tommaso Frattini. "The fiscal effects of immigration to the UK." The economic journal 124.580 (2014): F593-F643. https://academic.oup.com/ej/article-abstract/124/580/F593/5076967 Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Dustmann, Christian, Tommaso Frattini, and Ian P. Preston. "The effect of immigration along the distribution of wages." Review of Economic Studies 80.1 (2013): 145-173. https://academic.oup.com/restud/article-abstract/80/1/145/1596869 Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Fairlie, Robert W., and Magnus Lofstrom. "Immigration and entrepreneurship." Handbook of the economics of international migration. Vol. 1. North-Holland, 2015. 877-911. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444537683000175 Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Gonzalez, Libertad, and Francesc Ortega. "Immigration and housing booms: Evidence from Spain." Journal of Regional Science 53.1 (2013): 37-59. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jors.12010 Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
Hainmueller, Jens, and Daniel J. Hopkins. "Public attitudes toward immigration." Annual Review of Political Science 17 (2014): 225-249. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-polisci-102512-194818. Accessed 12 Apr. 2020
NEP Research Paper.docx
Choi 2
Danial Choi
Vicki Stalbird
English 1201.227
27 March 2020
The Benefits of a NEP in America
The needle exchange program (NEP) has been an effective program that has helped people who inject drugs (PWID) and the community. Even though the program has been getting positive results, there is still states in America that does not have a NEP available due to exposure of drugs and morals. Despite the negative feedbacks, the NEP has proven studies and results that has either helped or change the lives of PWID. The NEP needs to be provided throughout the United States because of the reduction of blood transmitted diseases, provided facilities that offer a safe place for injection and other services, and financial benefits
The NEP is a community-based organization which prioritize safer injection methods for PWID. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they define the NEP as a program that provides access to clean needles and syringes for PWID. By providing clean needles, the risk of getting a blood transmitted disease is lowered. An article titled Politics Are Tricky but Science Is Clear: Needle Exchanges Work written by Austin Frankt quotes, "Evidence abounds that they work. A study of the first American program — started in the Tacoma, Wash., area in 1988 — found that use of the exchange was associated with a greater than 60 percent reduction in the risk of contracting hepatitis B or C.” Results for having a NEP has been positive and their services are growing.
A statistical quote from Avert.org, article titled People Who Inject Drugs, HIV and AID states that, “…there are approximately 11.8 million people who inject drugs worldwide, and 13.1% of them are thought to be living with HIV. Three countries account for nearly half of all people who inject drugs globally - China, Russia and the United States.” Though addiction to drugs is an underlying problem, the bigger problem is the use of unsterile needles. PWID are probably unaware about injecting a used needle that could give them a blood transmitted disease (BTD). It is after they inject, they will start to feel ill or even unaware they have HIV until they get a screening.
One of the NEP’s mission is to reduce BTD like HIV, Hepatitis B and C. For PWID, the easiest way to get infected is the use of a used needle. Raynald Joseph states that through the shared use of needles and other injecting equipment, HCV is transmitted with ease with just a minuscule amount of blood from infected to uninfected person (Joseph et al. 31). Though the NEP cannot stop PWID from injecting, they still want injectors to inject more safely. To reduce the spread of BTD, NEP’s are providing sterile needles to give to PWID’s. To gain access for new needles, PWID is ordered to hand in old used needles and in exchange for brand new needles.
Since the start of NEP’s, BTD has been reduced significantly. An article in cdc.gov titled Access to Clean Syringe quotes, “An evaluation examining the District of Columbia’s lift of the Congressional ban on syringe exchange programs, which allowed the D.C. Department of Health to initiate an exchange program, showed a 70 percent decrease in new HIV cases among IDU and a total of 120 HIV cases averted in two years.” This study states that in 2 years, HIV has decreased by 70%. Another study done by George Washington University titled Syringe exchange programs prevented of new HIV cases in Philadelphia, Baltimore in eurekalert.org quotes, The researchers found that policies to allow syringe exchange programs to operate averted 10,592 new cases of HIV in Philadelphia and 1,891 new cases of HIV in Baltimore over a ten-year period.” Even though the NEP is unable to stop the injecting, they are still reducing the spread of BTD at an efficient rate.
Despite the success rate for NEP’s, there are still other states and that does/will not provide an NEP. Even though they have access to results and studies, it is not convincing enough to establish one. The risk of not having a NEP can cause injectors to be at risk for BTD, even the suspension of an operable NEP can raise the risk. Sean T. Allen states there is a new era of higher change for BTD and even overdose dues to the suspension of a NEP, basically changing the public health scape for PWID in Charleston, West Virginia (Allen et al. 9). There can also be risk if the NEP were to be more restrictive in giving out sterile needle. A study in Baltimore revealed that the risk of HIV and HCV will rise if the population does not have access or gaining less syringes (Sherman et al. 641-642). NEP needs to be available in order to help PWID but also to reduce BTD.
Reducing BTD and exchanging used needles for sterile, the NEP has a lot more benefits provided for PWID. Most NEP’s provide their own facility for PWID to inject their drugs, referring users to substance use disorder treatment programs, screening and treatments for blood transmitted diseases, educating about overdose prevention and safer injection practice, vaccinations, and referrals to social and mental health, along with other medical services. Some PWID comes to NEP’s for their other services besides exchanging needles. To quote Joan MacNeil, “Such connections assisted clients to dealing with the many uncertainties in their lives (MacNeil at al. 30).”
One benefit the NEP provides for PWID is the use of their facilities to inject. Instead of PWID injecting somewhere dangerous, the NEP prefers they inject in their own facilities, so they can monitor the injections. The use of injecting in a facility has made PWID feel safer and feel as if they are not getting judged by the community. In fact, an article that was published in Canada explains that PWID are beginning to get stigmatized for the use of illegal drugs due to a moral issue rather a health issue, which is viewing them as an undeserving and unworthy citizen (Macneil et al. 26-27). This kind of attack or pressure will make any PWID feel depressed, anxious, and probably scared, but the NEP has provided their own facilities for this issue.
The use of NEP facilitates for PWID has been helpful and feeling safe from the negative thoughts of society. Macneil states, “All of the clients accessing the needle exchange services unanimously described the needle exchange as a safe haven in an often-unsafe world characterized by stigma and other harms associated with street drug use (Macneil et al. 29).” Another study has shown that the consistency of visiting a NEP has made PWID were less likely to share or reuse needles and have a personal connection with the staff (Clarke et al. 399). It is the NEP that is helping PWID feel comfortable in their battle with drug addiction.
Besides gaining needles, the PWID goes to the NEP for their other services. Other services that NEP provides, according to the CDC, are referring to disorder treatment programs, education about overdoes prevention and safer injection practices, and referral to social, mental health, and other medical services. In fact, Macneil quotes, “Supportive counselling and access to HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infection testing, and information were also available at all the sites. (Macneil et al. 30).” These services are provided to help PWID and to reduces BTD.
Though the NEP is providing a service for PWID, they are also doing what they can to help the community. Used needles are getting littered and not getting thrown away, which can be a danger for the community. Raynald explains that HCV can be dormant and can be highly contagious for as long as 6 weeks (Raynald et al. 31). Used needles can be a threat, even when one is seen randomly and not discarded properly, which is why the NEP is providing services. Joshua Sabatini, writer or The San Francisco Examiner, published an article on April 2019, titled City increases efforts to collect used needles as part of needle exchange program, explains that the AIDS Foundation and The City, launched a team to pick up needles, collecting 90,879 needles in the first six months. With needle collecting, the NEP are trying to help the community along with PWID.
With all the benefits and success rate for the NEP, it is also proven to be able to save money. The price of buying a needle can outweigh the price of BTD treatment. Joel Sjever, writer for The St. Louis American, published an article on January 2020, titled Needle exchange programs save money and lives, quotes, “Preventing HIV through needle exchange programs can cost between $4,000 to $12,000 but treating a patient with HIV can cost as much as $190,000.” The NEP’s prevention of BTD is also being financially beneficial. The same article by Joel Sjever also quotes, “A 10-year overview of Philadelphia found that their NEP Prevention Point prevented 10,592 cases of HIV. The savings were calculated using $230,000 per lifetime HIV costs and found to save Philadelphia $2.4 billion over ten years.” Having the NEP can save money for the long term.
Being able to save money for the taxpayers is beneficial, but the NEP is still not able to gain federal funding because the NEP is not eliminating the stop of drug use. Weinmeyer explains, “The federal ban on NEPs began in 1988, after North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms equated NEPS with a federal endorsement of drug abuse and led Congress to enact a prohibition on the use of federal funds for such programs (Weinmeyer 253).” Though times has changed, there has still been dramatical proof, that though the use of drugs is still vivid, the reduction of BTD has risen.
Federal funding has been a major issue for NEP, not being able to gain full beneficial standards that may help them gain better services for PWID. The government still has the issue of the morality of the NEP, even though BTD has been reduced and PWID are learning about harm reduction and getting tested for BTD. A study in 2018 states that, “In the case of syringe exchange, researchers have argued that science has clashed for decades with morality and ideology, leading to a stalemate between two sides talking past one another. (Showalter 95).” Scientific research and morality have been in the way for federal funding. Along with that, social worker who want to be part of the NEP, is unable to, due to lack of funding. A study by Clarke states, “This may be due to the ban on federal funding, lack of social workers at community-based programs, and prevailing view that needle exchange promotes drug use (Clarke et al. 401).”
Though the NEP is having its battle with gaining federal funding, it is not illegal to have a NEP. In fact, despites the continuous battle on the ban of federal funds from 1988 to 2015, there is over two hundred operable NEP’s in the United States (Showalter 95). Though there are many NEP’s available, there are still states in the US that still does not have a NEP. Weinmeyer states that, “33 states in this country have banned the practice (including Indiana) as of June 2014 and federal law has long prohibited the US government from funding NEPs (Weinmeyer 252).” Of those 33 states, most of them are leaning or fully Republican, however, because of proven research and epidemic events, they have resorted to do NEP.
Many years has passed for the battle of federal funding for NEP’s. Republicans has been pressing hard on the ban but has been slowly accepting the fact that the NEP works. Victoria Knight published an article in USA Today on May 2019 titled Needle exchanges find new champions among Republicans, quoted Republican Houston Gaines, stating about the NEP, “But the medical and science community has shown that this works. My hope is as Republicans, we can always be willing to embrace programs and ideas if they’re proven to work.” This statement has proven that the NEP does work and has opened the eyes of Republicans.
Another reason why the NEP is slowly gaining favor for Republicans is the epidemics like BTD being on the rise. An example of an epidemic rise was published by the same article in USA Today by Victoria Knight, stating a 2015 outbreak of HIV that was connected to PWID in Scotts County, Indiana, which is a strong republican state, having 150 people diagnosed with HIV in a 24,000 rural population. This epidemic led to a state of emergency and allowed temporal acceptance for and NEP.
The proven studies of the effectiveness of a NEP during BTD epidemics has led Republicans to accept the fact that NEP works. Victoria Knight also adds in the article in USA Today, that “Following President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he wants to end the HIV epidemic, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar expressed his support for needle exchanges.” Also including from the article that, “Other Republican-leaning states also passed legislation allowing needle exchanges — Kentucky and Ohio in 2015, North Carolina in 2016 and Louisiana, North Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia in 2017.”
The results show for themselves, now that the NEP is gaining favor amongst both political parties in the United States. Showalter explains that, “…politicians who had argued for years to keep the ban in place were persuaded to change their position because of evidence of new injection-related HIV outbreaks among their own constituencies (Showalter 96).” Federal funding for NEP’s has slightly changed but is not getting as much. Weinmeyer states that, “The use of federal money to pay for sterile syringes is still prohibited, but funds can now be used to pay for other aspects of NEPs, including personnel, vehicles, gas, rent, and other expenditures needed to keep NEPs operational (Weinmeyer 255).” Though it is not much, but this small change has shown that the works of the NEP is gaining the needed attention it deserves.
The NEP is fighting hard to do their job in reducing BTD in the United States, but they are also battling issues raised by those who do not think the NEP is a necessity. Though there are issues like morality, the rising of drugs being sold to PWID, enforcing law upon the drugs, drug abuse because of provided needles, and an influence upon children using drugs, they also have services to either prevent, assist, and cope with a PWID. Despite the actuality of advocating the use of drugs, their main concern is to reduce BTD and has proven to do so. The NEP should be provided throughout the United States because of the positive results for reducing BTD, a safe haven for PWID and also providing other services, and the saving of taxpayer’s money.
Work Cited
Allen, Sean T., et al. “Understanding the Public Health Consequences of Suspending a Rural Syringe Services Program: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of People Who Inject Drugs.” Harm Reduction Journal, vol. 16, no. 1, May 2019, pp. 1–10. Directory of Open Access Journals, doi:10.1186/s12954-019-0305-7. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
Clarke, Kris, et al. “The Significance of Harm Reduction as a Social and Health Care Intervention for Injecting Drug Users: An Exploratory Study of a Needle Exchange Program in Fresno, California.” Social Work in Public Health, vol. 31, no. 5, Aug. 2016, pp. 398–407. MEDLINE with Full Text, doi:10.1080/19371918.2015.1137522. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
Frakt, Austin. “Politics Are Tricky but Science Is Clear: Needle Exchanges Work.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Sept. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/09/05/upshot/politics-are-tricky-but-science-is-clear-needle-exchanges-work.html. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
GWtweets. “Syringe Exchange Programs Prevented Thousands of New HIV Cases in Philadelphia, Baltimore.” EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-10/gwu-sep102919.php. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
Joseph, Raynald, et al. “Hepatitis C Prevention and Needle Exchange Programs in Rhode Island: ENCORE.” Rhode Island Medical Journal, vol. 97, no. 7, July 2014, pp. 31–34. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1080/19371918.2015.1137522. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
Knight, Victoria. “Needle Exchanges Find New Champions among Republicans.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 8 May 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/08/needle-exchange-programs-more-accepted-republican-states/1139672001/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2020.
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Professor-feedback.docx
Please be sure to review my previous comments. This essay is a long way from being up to a passing standard.
The main issue is that the essay is not persuasive. It is just an informational essay about positives and negatives of immigration.
Look at your body paragraphs. Are you trying to argue a specific point? What point is it? The answer to that will be your thesis. If your paragraphs aren't trying to argue a specific point, then you have a bigger problem, because everything in your essay must be persuasive. Your essay cannot earn a passing grade unless it fulfills these minimum requirements.
Look at the papers by David Fudge and Danail Choi in this class. They are very good examples.
Reserch Essay Draft.docx
Fudge 2
David Fudge
Professor Stalbird
English 1201.227
April 1, 2020
Research Essay Rough Draft
My father was one of the most athletic people I know. He has always had a terrible diet but since he was in shape, so I thought nothing of it. Now after being retired he has continued with his bad diet and is now 6 ft. 400 lbs. If he was introduced to a healthy diet and information of how it could help him in the future, he wouldn’t be out of breath just getting in and out of his car. Young or old, big or small, male or female everyone should be on a healthy diet. K-12 grade schools should have optional programs in place to provide healthier meal options and more education on how it effects ones health and there should be more dietary programs for adults with little or no cost that educate how a healthier diet can affect the longevity of one’s life.
It is true that diets are hard to start and continue with daily. Many people struggle with it everyday and a lot of times they give into the temptation and convenience of fast food or the way a cookie is calling their name. There is ample research and information available on healthier diets for people who want to reach better nutrition and it is hard work. It wouldn’t be as hard or taste as bad if people grew up eating a healthier diet. Eating healthy at school and at home is a great way to set a foundation for healthy eating for the rest of one’s life. According to an article from “Benefits of Policy Support of a Healthy Eating Initiative in Schools” it states, “Australian dietary guidelines recommend that children aged between 4 and 11 years consume at least five pieces of vegetables and two pieces of fruit each day.” School breakfast and lunches should offer more fruit and vegetable options offered then the typical fast food line. Rewards in class should be apples and oranges instead of sugary candy. School should also have a more in-depth health class on how their healthy diet can make them feel better and think clearer. There has been more progress made on this front since 2010 in the United States with programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These programs have been adopted by many schools and districts and made great progress with what children eat, the amount of exercise that is needed, and information received by students about their health. However, even though these programs are in place the USDA has relaxed on some of the guidelines that have been put into place. There were guidelines had been put into place for sodium consumption, whole grain consumption, and fat free milk. With these relaxed standards, the USDA threatens to reverse the progress that has been made in recent years. In 2012 the USDA adopted a three-tier system in which they wanted to reduce the amount of sodium that a student consumes and complete the system in 10 years. The first-tier is in place now however, the USDA decided in 2018 that they were going to delay the second-tier till 2024 and eliminate the third-tier all together which would mean that school food would not meet the standards of the Dietary Guidelines of Americans as required by law. When it comes to whole grains, the USDA has reduced the standards from all grain foods being whole grain, which is higher in fiber and lower in sugar and proven to reduce body weight, to only half of the foods be whole grain rich while the other half is refined grains. With the milk the USDA had allowed 1 percent instead of all milk products fat free allowing more calories and saturated fat. This all might not seem like a lot, but every little bit helps to move in a forward direction especially when it comes to a childs’ or young adults’ health. School based programs should be consistent like Project Healthy Schools (PHS) in Michigan where a student can adapt to a healthy lifestyle and the benefits that come with it. In the article “Sustained Benefit Over Four-Year Follow-Up of Michigan’s Project Healthy Schools.” states “—it seems school-based interventions such as PHS may result in long-term and sustainable improvements in cardiovascular parameters and healthy behaviors.” Schools should also send more information home to parents on the importance of eating healthy. It is not very effective if a child is eating healthy and staying active at school and then comes home to watch tv and eats a bag of chips.
Education on one’s health should not end at grade school. There should be cheaper or free programs in each state that educate adults on how they eat and how it effects their health. No two people are exactly alike and as we get older, we tend to have things go wrong whether it be weight problems, heart problems, or even just lack of energy and drive. An article I read online “How Eating a Better Diet Can Keep You Healthy” states ” Sometimes, though, the question isn't just about what makes up a healthy diet but why a person should aim to eat one in the first place.” This means that person should learn about their self and what ails them and what they want changed. This being such a prevalent issue and affecting everyone from private insurance carriers to the unhealthy individuals experiencing health problems later in life the programs should come from taxpayer money. Money from property tax is already used to fund libraries and community centers, the money that we pay should also be used to hire professional nutritionist that can have offices in the community centers, so no other office building is needed. There are ways such as health fairs and the internet to obtain information on nutrition and try to make something out of it but the best route is to bring information to a professional with the education needed to explain which type of diet would be the most helpful and why.
It is humans nature to try and do things ourselves and trying to research a specialty or “fad” diet isn’t always the best route to go. In the article “Dietary Practices Adopted by Track-and-Field Athletes: Gluten-Free, Low FODMAP, Vegetarian, and Fasting.” it states” Even in cases where a special diet is necessary, proper education is essential as dietary restriction may do more harm than good.” So, someone might use a diet and find that they are losing weight or gaining weight, but they might lack the nutrients that their body needs. This might cause more health issues in the long run internally despite helping the way they look on the outside.
Now I know what you are thinking “that seems like a lot of work to just up and change my entire diet all day everyday for the rest of my life.” It is a big life change and it is something that everyone must work on, but it doesn’t have to be someone’s whole diet all at once. It can just be something as simple as having an apple instead of that bag of chips or it could be water instead of that energy drink to make it through a long day. Small things even apply to physical activity such as parking in a farther parking spot to get some extra steps in going in and coming out or taking those stairs to the second floor instead of waiting for the elevator. In the article “Importance of Good Nutrition.” states “As with physical activity, making small changes in your diet can go a long way, and it's easier than you think!” Eating a healthier diet shouldn’t be something that causes someone stress on a daily basis, so it is okay to take it slow. Yet the important thing is to try a little more each day with small things which end up adding to a lot when it comes to health.
When it comes to recognizing if someone should be taking these steps the answer should always be yes. There are a lot of people in denial that they have a health problem with eating whether it be overeating, under eating or someone simply not caring about what they eat or don’t eat. That is why the statistics for obesity that are reported aren’t what they should look like. In fact, they are reported to be much lower then what they are and is quoted in the article “Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease.” It states “Obese people clearly eat more than do lean people, and food intake records are notoriously unreliable. Underreporting of food intake is greater in the obese than in normal-weight people and is worse when the foods are high in fat than with other macronutrients.” Everyone needs to recognize that they might have a problem and then secondly needs to get educated on what steps would help get them heading in the right direction.
A good starting point is to determine what the basics of a healthy diet consists of that everyone can use and then modify according to their specific needs. There is an article in the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called “Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight.” It states “According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020, a healthy eating plan: Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars; Stays within your daily calorie needs.” Everyone knows the “food table” from school but it has been updated to MYPLATE in 2011. From the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) the image below shows the portions of what should be on one’s plate to eat a healthy diet. Again, this is just a guide, it would be good practice to use this as a template on how to prepare healthier meals by following the portion sizes on the plate and the dairy can be swapped out for water, coffee, or a not so sugary drink.
Choose My Plate. Digital Image. UC ANR. April 2016. Web. April 2020 http://townsendlab.ucdavis.edu
A good jump off point would be to look on the internet at which foods fit in the categories and to build meals from there or to search for recipes that allow the ingredients to fit the approximate suggested portion sizes.
A nutritional diet is a choice. Everyone has the freedom to eat and live how they want. Some one could eat at a buffet all day, eat pizza, cookies and drink soda to their hearts content because it makes them happy on the contrary, someone could not eat at all because they think there is something wrong with their bodies and they are trying to change it by starving themselves. There is no one that is going to come and arrest these people for not eating a healthy diet like they are supposed to but eventually those people’s body is going to reject what they are doing to them and cause major problems in the long run. Some of those health problems include obesity, anorexia, diabetes, kidney failure, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, depression, tooth decay, chronic pain, shortness of breath, cancer, slowed immune response, dry hair, liver failure, and osteoporosis, just to name a few. Not saying that all of these or any of these will happen if someone eats bad or that none of these will happen to someone if they eat a healthy diet but if people continue to eat bad the chances of one of these health problems are more likely to happen. There was an article on the internet titled “Importance of Good Nutrition.” states “Your food choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future.” So why not live for the now and the future and put the proper nutrition in one’s body and prolong one’s life.
The purpose of this research paper isn’t to point fingers at anyone or to say someone isn’t trying hard enough to be healthy. The purpose is to say that everyone is in the same boat of striving to eat healthier. It is to point out the little things that can be done on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. Everyone should be prioritizing working towards a better life in everything that they do and one of the most effective ways of getting there is feeling the best someone could feel on the inside and out. The way to do that is a proper nutritious diet. Would it have been easier to have started this lifestyle as a child, yes, however it is never too late to alter your course. A proper diet can be work and can become time consuming but the way to cut down the time is with research. Information, when it comes to diets, can be one’s best friend and the more information you have the more prepared you will be. This website titled “Food and Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know.” states “it is not possible for one book alone to provide ‘everything you need to know.” So, look for information from reliable sources like professional nutritionist or scholarly writings on the internet. Take all of that information and apply it to a proper diet that works for a specific type of person. When it all comes down to a diet and healthy living all someone has to do is keep moving forward in the right direction and to try.
Work Cited
Nathan, Nicole, et al. “Benefits of Policy Support of a Healthy Eating Initiative in Schools.” Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol. 39, no. 1, Feb. 2015, pp. 94–95. SocINDEX, doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12321. Accessed February 13, 2020
Corriveau, Nicole, et al. “Sustained Benefit Over Four-Year Follow-Up of Michigan’s Project Healthy Schools.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105, no. 12, Dec. 2015, pp. e19–e25. SPORTDiscus ,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=110787209&site=eds-live. Accessed February 13, 2020
Lehman, Shereen. “How Eating a Better Diet Can Keep You Healthy.” Verywell Fit, Verywell Fit, 7 Nov. 2019, www.verywellfit.com/reasons-to-eat-right-2507100. Accessed February 13, 2020
Lis, Dana M., et al. “Dietary Practices Adopted by Track-and-Field Athletes: Gluten-Free, Low FODMAP, Vegetarian, and Fasting.” International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, vol. 29, no. 2, Mar. 2019, pp. 236–245. SPORTDiscus, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=135936384&site=eds-live. Accessed February 13, 2020
HHS Office, and Council on Sports. “Importance of Good Nutrition.” HHS.gov, US Department of Health and Human Services, 26 Jan. 2017, www.hhs.gov/fitness/eat-healthy/importance-of-good-nutrition/index.html. Accessed February 13, 2020
Taubes, Gary. Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease. , 2007. Print. Accessed February 13, 2020
“Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/index.html. Accessed April 1 2020
Newby, P K. Food and Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know. , 2018. Print. Accessed February 13, 2020
