Clark County needle exchange program extended for 2 years

CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Clark County is extending its syringe exchange program for two more years.

The program began in 2017 after the area had 25% more AIDS cases and 30% more Hepatitis C cases than the state average.

The program isn't just a syringe exchange, Clark County Health Department also does infectious disease testing and recovery referrals.

"There's a few metrics we look at when it comes to syringe service programs," Dr. Eric Yazel, Clark County Health Commissioner, said.

Yazel said the program has netted more than 5,000 syringes off the streets of Clark County. They've had a return rate of over 100%.

The relationships the health department builds with people in the program leads to treatment.

"Over 54% of our participants are in some active recovery program," Yazel said. "These are people that don't normally access the health care system."

Yazel said the program helps to identify HIV and Hepatitis C, which allows for early treatment and community-wide prevention.

The program isn't funded directly by tax dollars, instead it's granted supported.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was showing signs of progress.

"We were down about 40% on overdose rates and ER visits," Yazel said.

Yazel said education and community-wide outreach can help improve the issue.

"We're trying to get out to populations we haven't reached in the past very well," Yazel said. "One thing that we noticed during the pandemic is there is a disproportional rise in our minority population in use there."

Clark County Health Department is planning a media campaign to share knowledge to the community about substance abuse.

The syringe exchange program is available on the first floor at Clark County Health Department on Wall Street on week days until around 3 p.m. A counselor will meet with the person, discuss health needs and potential recovery and wrap around services.

While it was initially pitched as a short-term program, Yazel hopes the day will come will it can be discontinued because it's no longer an issue in Clark County.

"It's one of those public health programs we hope that we put ourselves out of business," Yazel said. "It would be great to not have that need anymore."

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357. The free helpline is available 24 hours in English and Spanish.

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