News

Indiana county gets $7K for needle-exchange, but needs more

Posted October 27, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A southern Indiana county that's preparing to launch a needle-exchange to curb the spread of hepatitis C and HIV is still looking for funding.

Clark County Health Commissioner Dr. Kevin Burke says the Ohio River county has received $7,000 from the Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis for purchasing supplies.

But he tells The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky (http://cjky.it/2eFlTnJ ) it needs more than twice that to run the exchange for at least six months.

Indiana's health commissioner declared a public health emergency in Clark County in August, giving the county permission to operate a needle exchange following an HIV outbreak linked to intravenous drug use in adjacent Scott County.

Needle exchanges provide clean syringes to intravenous drug users to prevent needle-sharing that spreads hepatitis C, HIV and other diseases.

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Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com

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