Berkeley County health officials are looking at implementing a needle exchange program for intravenous drug users.
The program would be part of a larger harm reduction strategy that health officials want to establish.
The Journal reports that the Berkeley County Health Department held a roundtable discussion on Friday with local agencies and organizations interested in becoming partners in a harm reduction coalition
A needle exchange program allows intravenous drug users to exchange used syringes for clean ones.
Health department epidemiologist Timi Adediran says 32 of 78 communicable disease cases reported to the agency in 2014 were Hepatitis B. Hepatitis can be transmitted through syringe sharing by drug users.
West Virginia’s first needle exchange program was launched in Cabell County in September.
West Virginia’s first syringe exchange program has received a $75,000 grant to expand.
The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington reports that the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation awarded the grant Thursday to support education and risk reduction programs for drug-addicted individuals. The syringe exchange program was started in September by the Cabell-Huntington Health Department.
The Huntington program allows intravenous drug users to exchange used needles for clean ones at a clinic. Physician Director Dr. Michael Kilkenny says the grant will help the clinic, which he says needs to expand its hours to facilitate the number of addicts who are using the program.
The syringe exchange program is open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday at the Cabell-Huntington Health Department.
"Just tackling the supply side of this issue, it's not going to be enough." – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia Booth Goodwin brought together local first responders, state health officials and substance abuse treatment specialists Tuesday to celebrate the success he sees in his district in combating drug abuse.
Goodwin said his office intends to continue enforcing federal laws that prohibit the sale of narcotics, but now, he and his colleagues are also focusing on the treatment side, looking at ways to curb the demand for the drugs.
Goodwin focused on the expanded use of Naloxone, a opioid antagonist that reverses the effects of an overdose.
A drug that’s been used by paramedics in the county for years, now some members of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department have also been trained to administer it. Charleston Police Chief Brent Walker said Tuesday his department is also in the process of training to carry and use Naloxone.
“We believe that the paramedics at the Charleston Fire Department will do the bulk of it, but we want to be in a position to save a life if we can,” he said.
Charleston City Council also passed an ordinance this week that will pave the way for a needle exchange program which Kanawha-Charleston Health Department Executive Director Michael Brumage said will help prevent the spread of some serious diseases like Hepatitis B and C and possibly HIV and AIDS.
Credit Ashton Marra / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Kanawha-Charleston Health Department Executive Director and Health Officer Dr. Michael Brumage during the panel Tuesday.
“Just being able to bring somebody in and offering them a clean needle and at the same time exploring whether or not they would be willing to go into recovery, that’s a service we can offer to as part of this program,” he said.
Brumage is working to model his program after the Cabell-Huntington needle exchange program that began this month, the first of its kind in the state. He believes Kanawaha County can have a program in place by December.
Goodwin also highlighted other success in the area, including Governor Tomblin’s recently launched 24-hour helpline.
The call center, which can be reached at 844-HELP4WV, helps connect those in need of substance abuse or mental health treatment to providers in their communities.
Charleston City Council has taken a step toward establishing a needle exchange program.
Council members approved an ordinance on Monday decriminalizing possession of hypodermic syringes and needles. The ordinance also allows distribution of needles and syringes that are part of a needle exchange program, so long as such a program is approved or sponsored by the city’s police chief.
Dr. Michael Brumage with the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department says the ordinance opens a path to begin a needle exchange program.
Such programs allow intravenous drug users to exchange used needles for clean ones.
Last week, the Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health voted to establish a county-operated needle exchange program. Cabell County launched the state’s first program earlier this month.
The Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health has voted unanimously to establish a county-operated needle exchange program.
Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department Director Howard Gamble tells local media that the program, conducted in partnership with Northwood Health System, could open as early as Friday, thanks to the Tuesday vote.
The new health regulation establishes a one-for-one exchange, in which a person could turn in one used needle and receive one sterile syringe at no cost from a health department employee. Northwood Health System’s Eoff Street facility will be used as the exchange site one day a week.
An increase in drug use in the community and in needles being discarded improperly prompted officials to consider a safe exchange program.
Cabell County launched the state’s first needle exchange program earlier this month.
