Chris Abert of the Indiana Recovery Alliance talks in February 2016 about implementing a needle exchange program and other support services in Bloomington. The exchange program is a response to the growing substance abuse problem facing both the community and the state. Staff photo by David Snodgress | Herald-Times
Monroe County will continue its needle exchange program for at least the next two years.
A needle exchange program, interchangeably called a syringe exchange program, allows injection drug users to receive clean needles intended for one-time use and has been operating in Monroe County since February 2016.
A new Indiana law allows county health departments to operate needle exchange programs without first receiving state approval, and also allows these programs to be approved every two years rather than annually.
“We were not surprised, and very pleased, the commissioners agreed to extend the syringe services program,” Penny Caudill, administrator of the Monroe County Health Department, said Monday.
The county commissioners last week approved the program in Monroe County through the end of 2019.
The extension caps off a difficult year fighting the opioid epidemic in Monroe County. The summer was marred by a rash of overdoses, and in the fall, the county, city of Bloomington and nonprofit partners from around the area met for the first South Central Opioid Summit to discuss solutions to the crisis.
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