Clark County needle exchange to open in late January 2017

Once open, the program, known as THE EXCHANGE, will offer individuals who inject drugs intravenously the opportunity to get clean needles, which proponents say will reduce illnesses associated with needle-sharing, such as Hepatitis C, HIV and AIDS.

Though the application process was started in late 2015, complications with a potential funding source prevented Clark County from securing its approval for the needle exchange until July.

And since the county is barred from using state or federal grants to purchase supplies for the program, it had to seek outside funding and secured a $7,000 grant in October from the Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis to buy syringes and other supplies.

Clark County health officer Dr. Kevin Burke said that should be enough to run the program for six months, before more funding is needed.

Initially, THE EXCHANGE will be open each Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1301 Akers Ave. in Jeffersonville. Burke said the goal is to expand those hours to two days and extend the operation to other locations eventually.

The program will be run largely by volunteer staff, and Burke said this is the final piece needed to be put in place before opening.

“I wanted the grant fund sort of in-hand before we started training,” he said. “I wanted them to be fresh in their knowledge and abilities — how to deal with this population.”

Volunteers are still being accepted for the three mandatory training sessions coming up — Jan. 9, 17 and 23 in the evening. Burke said each is expected to run about three hours.

The training will be provided by Louisville Metro Health Department staff, with curriculum under the National Harm Reduction Coalition. Some users travel to the Louisville SEP, Burke said, and some do not go at all. The Louisville program will refer Southern Indiana residents to the Jeffersonville location when it opens.

It's important to treat the clients with respect and not judge, Burke said, so they trust the program and return and tell others about it. Volunteers will also be trained how to respond to certain situations.

“How do you deal with a hostile client? How do you deal with one that appears to be intoxicated? There are a lot of scenarios that are reviewed and guidelines based on what has [been] found to be successful in dealing with this population,” he said.

Burke said the program will improve the health of users in the area by offering more resources.

“It improves the health of this population because they'll have a more convenient source of clean needles [and] they'll be more likely to use clean needles,” he said.

The volunteers will also be equipped to help clients find resources for substance abuse if they would like to find treatment, and get involved and screened through the county's HIV/STD programs. They'll also be able to receive medical care for other or related issued, he said.

“We will be a conduit whereby they can get medical care for any complications they have,” he said. “If they come in with and infected injection site that looks like it's going to take more than hot compresses to clear it up, we've got an agreement with LifeSpring where one of their nurse practitioners or physicians can see that patient, even that day if necessary.”

Volunteers may also offer more safe injection techniques, above simply using a clean needle every time.

“There are techniques that make it a safer injection so you're less likely to hit a nerve, hit an artery, damage a blood vessel,” he said. “[And] how to take care of any infections that might develop from the injection site.”