A public hearing on an Allen County needle exchange program could take place in the next several weeks.
County Commissioner Nelson Peters said Friday he plans to set up a blue-ribbon committee with health department officials and experts, as well as members of Allen County and Fort Wayne’s law enforcement community, to look into the issue. The committee, Peters said, would look at data and plans presented Friday by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health, which is pushing to establish a needle exchange in Allen County.
Such a program would be operated by the health department. Intravenous drug users could exchange used needles and syringes for clean ones. Space would be provided by the Northeast Indiana Positive Resource Connection, a social service agency for residents with HIV. Needle kits would be paid for with grant money.
Peters said Allen County Sheriff David Gladieux and Prosecutor Karen Richards have not given needle exchanges ringing endorsements. A committee, which would take about two weeks to look at the information, could help bring everyone together to form a program that satisfies everyone’s concerns, he said.
Friday’s presentation featured remarks from several health care experts, the director of clinical services at the Three Rivers Ambulance Authority, a Fort Wayne police officer and Attorney General Greg Zoeller, who supports the implementation of needle exchange programs throughout Indiana.
Proponents of needle exchange programs say they can help reduce instances of HIV and hepatitis C transmission and can connect addicts with services designed to help them get clean.
The health department reported 23 new cases of HIV and 395 cases of hepatitis C in Allen County in 2015. Nearly 9 percent of the new HIV cases in 2015 identified intravenous drug use as a risk factor.