We often talk about D.C. voting rights and self-determination in very academic terms, but not having either can have very real consequences. Today’s closure of one local service provider proves that.

Today marks the end of PreventionWorks!, a small non-profit organization that over the last 12 years has operated one of the District’s largest needle-exchange programs. For nine of those 12 years, PreventionWorks! struggled under a ban on the use of local funds for needle-exchange programs imposed by Congress in 1998.

That ban was lifted by Democrats in 2007, allowing PreventionWorks! to take in roughly $300,000 a year in city funds for its programs. It was too late, though — years of working with nothing but private donations left the organization unable to establish firm financial footing. In a statement posted to its website, the organization’s board of directors wrote: “Recent government support was critical to giving PreventionWorks! the potential for staying power, but unfortunately the organization was ultimately unable to build and sustain the financial and organizational capacity worthy of its work.”

PreventionWorks! provided a service that is desperately needed in the District. According to a 2008 report by the D.C. Department of Health, Washington’s HIV/AIDS rate stands at three percent of the city’s population, above the level of some Western African countries. While the leading cause of transmission is men having sex with other men, 18 percent of all transmissions come from the reuse of needles. Research has shown that needle-exchange programs are effective in limiting HIV transmission and opening doors to other needed services; just last week, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a statement citing a study that found that “[needle-exchange programs] are widely considered to be an effective way of reducing HIV transmission among individuals who inject illicit drugs and there is ample evidence that [needle-exchange programs] also promote entry and retention into treatment.”