AUSTIN — Fear is the enemy in Scott County.
Intravenous drug addicts worry about the spread of disease, they fear a positive HIV test and they’re scared of the police. A needle-exchange program implemented by the Scott County Health Department is working to overcome those fears, but cutting through the rumors isn’t easy.
“This population is a little afraid anyway,” said Public Health Nurse Brittany Combs, “and so there’s lots of rumors that have been out, like we have the police waiting on that, that we’re getting information so that we can track them — which is absolutely false — even some absurd things like we have video cameras up videoing them, which we don’t.”
The needle-exchange program doesn’t collect any identifying information about its participants. Instead, first-time visitors are given a unique identification card that shows they’re participating.
Trust in the new needle-exchange program is gaining momentum. As of Monday at 3 p.m., 43 new participants and one repeat customer had taken advantage of the program. More than 1,500 syringes have been distributed, and the program has disposed of 580 used needles.
The program hit the road for the first time Monday, though the mobile needle-exchange program’s maiden voyage was short-lived thanks to heavy rainfall. Still, the program did visit a household of four IV drug users, all of whom had already tested negative for HIV, Combs said.
“If nothing else, we have saved those four people for this week from having to share needles and possibly get HIV,” Combs said.
And for addicts worried that participation in the needle-exchange program could lead to an arrest, that couldn’t be further from the truth, said Austin Police Chief Don Spicer.
“We feel like some of the people are not using the program because of that fear,” Spicer said. “If they’re a participant of the exchange, have the unique identifying card, we don’t arrest them. If they’re not, they could be arrested. We would encourage anyone to get involved in that, because that is going to be their ticket to get help and not have to worry about these kinds of things.”
Participating in the exchange is helping addicts get help, Combs said. Everyone who interacts with the needle-exchange program receives information on how to access substance abuse programs. A man came to the One-Stop Shop last week, where services are being provided in Austin, to share his excitement about having been accepted into a treatment program.
“He said, ‘I will be back every week to tell you that I’m drug free,’” Combs said. “It’s stories like that — at least we’re helping some people.”
The needle-exchange program is authorized by an executive order signed last month by Gov. Mike Pence. That order expires April 25. If Pence doesn’t re-up on the authorization, other programs in place already — including services like access to vital records through the Indiana State Department of Health, the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0, HIV testing and immunizations — will remain, said Deputy State Health Commissioner Jennifer Walthall.
“We won’t pack up and roll out just because that particular component of the plan goes away. Again, this will continue on,” Walthall said. “There’s great partnership. We’ve built great sustainability into each of these components, and I’m very pleased that will continue.”
Walthall said that there would be an evaluation of the program and how successful it’s been, and recommendations would be made to the Pence administration.
“I have to commend everyone who is working with the needle-exchange program,” Walthall said. “Again, it has been an extraordinary success, the opportunity to interact that they’ve had with community members and provide hope in this arena.”