Tippecanoe County under public health emergency because of hepatitis C

In that time frame, Tippecanoe County saw a 50 percent spike in individuals diagnosed with the disease, Adams said in a news release.

The rise in cases "can indicate widespread injection drug use and be a precursor to other diseases, such as HIV," he said.

Tippecanoe County commissioners voted 2-1 during a public hearing in November to establish a needle exchange after Jeremy Adler, the county's health officer, submitted a declaration of a local health emergency Oct. 10.

Those actions are necessary to establish needle exchanges under Senate Enrolled Act 461, which made such programs legal in Indiana, according to the news release.

The location of the exchange has been a point of controversy. Spots such as the Tippecanoe County Health Department or the Howarth Center — both located in Lafayette's high-crime central neighborhoods — have been suggested.