Injection Equipment

• 1/2” 28g 1/2 cc (Insulin) needles with syringe
• 1/2” 27g 1/2 cc (Diabetic) needles with syringe
• 1.5” 22g 1/2 cc (“Groin”) needles only
• 5/8” 22g 1/2 cc (“Blue Head”) needles only
• 1” 23g (“Apple”) needles only
• 1cc tuberculin syringes (“bodies”)
Some people do not care what they get. Others do. For example, some find the small needles bread off the clog, while other find the finer points easier to register with and more comfortable to use.

Safer Shooting Kits

• Alcohol Prep Pads
Alcohol prep pads (or wipes) should be used before injection to clean away dirt and bacteria from the injection site. Injected dirt, bacteria, and other debris can lead to infection and abscesses. Untreated, this can lead to the loss of a limb, endocarditis (hardening of the heart muscle), and other diseases. It is important for exchangers to clean the injection site BEFORE injecting. Many people use wipes to clean blood from the injection site after injection, but this does not help prevent infection and abscesses. The injection site should be cleaned with an alcohol wipe in a circular motion away from the injection site. The injections site should be allowed to dry completely before injection.
• Band-Aids
It’s pretty obvious why we distribute band-aids. It is a good idea to cover an open sore and an injection breaks the skin and is an open sore.
• Antibiotic Ointment
3-in-1 antibiotic ointment helps heal wounds, abscesses and open sores. Using the ointment may prevent a wound from becoming seriously infected and help heal open sores faster. The ointment can be applied after injection.
• Cotton
Most injectors us a tiny piece of cotton as a filter when drawing a liquefied drug into a syringe, so cotton pellets are provided in the safer shooting kits. Undissolved bits of debris are kept from clogging up the works (syringe) or getting injected.
Participants may receive more cotton if they express a desire for more. Sharing cotton is a way of transmitting HIV and Hepatitis and reusing cottons can result in “cotton fever”
• Cookers
Cookers are used as a container to dissolve drugs, usually in water, and should be changed regularly for good hygiene. They, like syringes, cotton, bleach and water, should not be shared, as this contributes to the spread of HIV and Hepatitis. It is important for participants to remember not to share cookers. Heating the cooker does not kill all germs!
• Towlettes
Antiseptic towlettes are provided to promote general cleanliness. Cleaning hands before injection or eating can reduce the change of bacterial infections of many varieties.

Bleach Kits

• Bleach
Although it is best to use a syringe only once, sometimes rigs are shared and re-used. When needles are shared or re-used, bleach should be used to clean them. It is important for exchangers to know that if they are reusing their own syringes, they should still be cleaned between uses, even though they are not being shared. Once a syringe is used it may contain bacteria and debris that contribute to infection and abscesses. When used correctly bleach can kill HIV and other blood-borne viruses and bacteria. However, it is also one of the most toxic chemicals in common usage. Studies indicate that many people use bleach incorrectly, increasing the risk of infection. The bleach bottle has instructions on how to clean syringes correctly to kill HIV.So far, we are not sure how long bleach must be in contact with a hepatitis C virus before the virus dies. The general recommendation is a 2-minute bleaching process.
• Water
It is important that rigs are thoroughly rinsed before and after use. No one wants to be injecting bacteria or debris from a previous shot, and no one wants to be injecting bleach because a cleaned rig wasn’t thoroughly rinsed.
We recommend participants use two bottles of water; one bottle is for cooking the drug and as the first rinse, and the second is for rinsing after bleaching.
Sharing water is a way of transmitting HIV and Hepatitis.

Smoker's Kits

• Rubber Pipe Cover
A rubber pipe cover can help prevent the transmission of Hepatitis C between people sharing a glass pipes for smoking crack cocaine. The pipe cover also helps prevent blisters, which are uncomfortable and can be a portal of entry for infectious agents.
• Filter
Small balls of copper are used as filters and as a way of transfering heat to the drug. PreventionWorks! provides a copper ball which is not contaminated by disease or debris.

Safer Sex Supplies

• Condoms
Condoms are probably best known for the role in safer sex. But they can be useful in other situations as well. Some people like non-lubed condoms to use as a tie-off strap for finding and enlarging veins before injecting. Lubrication from condoms can be used to keep the rubber on the plunger form degrading from multiple uses and cleanings with bleach.
We usually have lubricated and non-lubricated condoms. Most people are happy with four to eight condoms. We do what we can. As with all supplies, it is important that there are enough to last the duration of the day.
• Female condoms
These are strong polyurethane condoms designed to let a woman wear a condom during intercourse. It can help prevent pregnancy and STDs just like the latex make condom. Many people are unfamiliar with the female condom, so PreventionWorks outreach workers try to provide verbal instructions for insertion as well as an instruction pamphlet.
Dental Dams
Dental dams are another form of barrier protection to help prevent STDs (transmitted via oral, anal or vaginal routes). We have a variety of flavors and colors to offer participants. We also have a brochure on how to use the dental dam.
• Lubricant
Lubricant is useful for safer sex. Some exchangers also use lubricant to keep the rubber on the plunger of the syringe from degrading. We have flavored and non-flavored.

Community Resources

• Referrals
We have referrals for drug treatment and medical care to provide to exchangers upon request. In addition to information about medical services, shelter, food, drug treatment, and other services, we have information about safer-injection techniques, bleaching, overdose, etc.
PreventionWorks is also seeking opportunities to work in conjunction with other outreach programs that come in contact with injection drug users. Though these contacts, we may be able to enhance the referral process and expand the options available to our participants as well.

As an organization we are neither for nor against any particular recovery program like twelve-step or methadone. More importantly, we support individuals in their right to decide for themselves when and whether or not they will use them.

• Information
We provide our clients with a selection of educational brochures, magazines, flyers and other literature on topics such as, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, hypothermia, treatment opportunities, DC government resource numbers, safer drug use tips, etc.