Public-health researchers present local analysis showing decreases in syringe-service participation and naloxone distribution after short ban; data quality andl

Public-health researchers from the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Public Health presented an interrupted time-series analysis of local data on April 21 examining outcomes before, during and after a temporary ban on syringe distribution by a local syringe-service provider.

Presenters and data Dr. Catherine Lemasters, a public-health researcher and professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and Pranav Padmanabhan, a master’s of public health student studying epidemiology, described data drawn from Access Point (one of two local syringe-service programs) and from the city’s parks and recreation department covering January through September 2024. They used May 13, 2024 (vote date) and May 18, 2024 (date the policy went into effect) as interruption points and noted the ban was overturned on June 6, 2024. The presenters described interrupted time-series models that estimate immediate level changes and trend changes at each interruption.

Key findings presented - Program participation: Weekly participant visits rose from about 210 per week in January 2024 to about 248 per week just before the ban. After the ban’s implementation there was a sharp decrease in participants; after the ban was overturned the presenters reported an immediate jump but by…