JEFFERSONVILLE – The Clark County Health Department’s needle exchange program has been renewed for another two years.
The Clark County Commissioners voted 3-0 Thursday to extend the contract for the county’s syringe services. The Interchange, located on Akers Avenue in Jeffersonville, provides people with clean syringes in exchange for used ones.
The program also offers health and addiction treatment and testing for Hepatitis C and HIV.
Dr. Eric Yazel, Clark County Health Department health officer, said this two-year renewal will help with longterm strategic planning for the program.
“This gives us a sense of stability and allows us to continue to build our program,” he said.
In the past, the commissioners have renewed the program on a yearly basis. Commissioner President Jack Coffman said they decided to extend the contract to two years based on their confidence in the program’s success.
“This is something we want to continue,” Coffman said. “It’s certainly not something we want to take a step back on.”
He said the Clark County Health Department will report back to them at least yearly about the results of the needle exchange program.
Yazel said the program’s recent expansion has improved return rates and the department’s ability to help clients on a regular basis. When it opened in January 2017, the Interchange was only open every Thursday, but starting this year, it is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
He hopes to continue expanding the program. He said the health department would like to create mobile services to reach people who have issues accessing transportation and to improve syringe return rates.
The Interchange’s focus on counseling is one of the reasons the program has had success, Yazel said, and he wants to continue to improve these services. He said the program’s nurses and staff are committed to building trust and rapport with clients to help guide them towards recovery.
“We are doing this in a responsible manner and in a way that gets people better,” he said.
From Jan. 1 to Aug. 8, the Interchange has seen 1,077 visits, including 361 new visits and 716 repeat visits, according to Yazel. This year’s overall syringe return rate is 63 percent, while the average return rate for new members is 84 percent.
The program has provided 53,787 sterile syringes this year and received 33,727 used syringes. It has taken 39,603 syringes off the streets.
The Interchange has also helped get about 100 people into recovery this year, according to Yazel. This is one of the main goals of the program, he said.
From July 27, 2017 to Aug. 8, 2018, the program has seen 12 people test positive for Hepatitis C and three test positive for HIV. Yazel said he is confident that the program’s testing services are preventing transmission by catching cases of Hepatitis C and HIV early.
In addition to improving public safety, the program’s prevention efforts also saves the county millions of dollars in medical costs, he said. Hepatitis C can cost $35,000 to $70,000 per case, and HIV can cost $300,000 to $400,000, according to Yazel. These cases often affect people who are uninsured or underinsured, he said.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released in March studied an HIV outbreak in Scott County and the effects of a needle exchange program established in early 2015. According to the study, the program helped decrease needle sharing and increased the rate of HIV testing.
Researchers interviewed 200 people in Scott County to examine how the needle exchange affected their injection behaviors.
Of 123 people who reported I.V. drug use before and after the opening of the needle exchange, those who said they shared needles fell from 74 percent to 22 percent. The number of people using medical waste sharps containers for used syringes increased from 18 percent to 82 percent.
Also, 86 percent of people surveyed reported using the needle exchange to access sterile syringes. Yazel said while this study was conducted in Scott County, he said there are likely similarities in Clark County.
He said the Clark County Commissioner’s continued support of the needle exchange will help the health department’s ability to operate the program to the best of its ability.
“It’s a win for public health, a win for the finances of the county and a win for those dealing with addiction,” he said.