An Assessment of the Community Perceptions Associated with the Victoria Needle Exchange Program

• Main Author: Gregg, Brian
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/13926

This study uncovers Capital Regional District (CRD) residents’ opinions, levels of knowledge, and support or opposition towards the implementation of needle exchange program (NEP) services in Victoria, British Columbia. In order to uncover the community perceptions associated with the Victoria NEP, a public opinion telephone survey was designed and administered to a random, geographically stratified sample (n=500) of residents within the CRD. In obtaining a geographically stratified sample, quotas were set to ensure that a representative sample was obtained from each of the thirteen member municipalities within the region. Descriptive statistics in the form of frequency distributions have been generated for each survey item to convey the distribution of responses concerning perceptions of specific aspects of the program. Although the primary purpose of this research is to assess the community perceptions associated with NEP services in Victoria, it also achieves three other objectives, including: (1) providing a review of contextual information pertaining to the linkages between homelessness, mental illness and addictions challenges in the CRD, (2) placing the findings of this study into the larger body of relevant knowledge via a review of the literature, and (3) developing a brief set of evidence-based practice implications and recommendations for VIHA management.