At a glance
The Allen County Syringe Services Program is open 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays at 519 Oxford St. The program offers clean needles in exchange for used ones, addictions counseling and testing for hepatitis C, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Also offered: tuberculosis testing, wound care, treatment referrals and help in signing up for health insurance. All counseling and testing is confidential and free. The program does not offer the opiate-overdose reversal drug, naloxone, also known as Narcan.
The program does not have a telephone number, but more information can be found at www.allencountyhealth.com/get-informed/ssp/ and the Allen County Syringe Service Program page on Facebook.
Allen County's syringe exchange program collected more than 14,000 used syringes since its start in November – a 96 percent return rate, compared to about 80 percent nationally for such programs.
With that statistic and other numbers underscoring the program's success, the Allen County commissioners on Friday unanimously reauthorized the public health initiative for another two years.
Last year, commissioners were skeptical of the program, which provides clean syringes to addicts in exchange for dirty ones as a way of preventing the spread of serious bloodborne diseases.
This year, the county lawmakers changed their tune.
“I'm astounded by the 96 percent return rate,” Republican Commissioner Nelson Peters said. “Last year, one of the things I was concerned about was I was concerned that you might not get them (used needles) back.”
Dr. Deborah McMahan, the county's health commissioner, attributed the program's record to giving participants a syringe collection box, known as a sharps container.
Typically made of plastic, the containers are often found in doctors' offices or the homes of patients who must self-administer medication shots. The boxes have a slot in the top to place the used syringes.
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