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Needle exchange program still alive By SUSAN JAY A Jackson County needle exchange program aimed at preventing the spread of disease is one step closer to reality. The county's Public Health Advisory Board voted Monday to recommend such a program -- on a trial basis -- to the Jackson County board of commissioners. If approved, the county could contract with community outreach workers to slowly begin exchanging needles, said Hank Collins, director of the county's Health and Human Services department. People have already dropped by the public health department and methadone clinic wanting to exchange used needles for clean ones after word of a possible program was reported last month, Collins said. But agencies that receive federal funding cannot physically exchange needles. They can contract with others to provide the service. The county's answer may be to contract with outreach workers from the county's HIV prevention program and OnTrack Inc.'s substance abuse treatment program, who regularly hit the streets to find drug users and teach them about cleaning their needles with bleach, practicing safe sex, and also refer them to treatment programs, Collins said. He estimates the program's cost would be close to $20,000 for supplies and workers. They also may recruit and train volunteers, usually recovering drug users, to be outreach workers, Collins said. The goal of such a program would be to increase information, services and programs on HIV and hepatitis C to drug users, and also to reduce the growing spread of those diseases in Jackson County. An estimated 15 percent -- or 487 -- of the 3,157 people seeking drug treatment in fiscal year 1998-99 were intravenous drug users. Also, about 87 percent of the injection drug users in Jackson County's methadone program have hepatitis C, a chronic liver disease commonly contracted through dirty needles. It has no cure. During the first six months in 1999, the number of positive hepatitis C antibody tests reported to Jackson County Public Health increased by 300 percent over the same period in 1998. "I'm entering this thing with my eyes wide open," Collins said of the trial program. "We're not sure it's going to work." But health officials and drug counselors want to try, because of the results seen in other needle exchange programs. Steve Brummett, manager of the county's substance abuse treatment programs, visited Bay area needle exchange programs in July. He said he was surprised to find how often users eventually went into treatment, and the decrease in dirty needles found in public areas. Members of the Public Health Advisory Board emphasized Monday the importance of moving drug users forward toward treatment and recovery in such a program. They also said they were glad to see steps included to monitor the program and its results, including how many drug users actually went into treatment and how many actually used the program. Chuck Root, a board member and manager of Bear Creek Sanitary Authority, said he supported the program because of the benefits to the average citizen. The board will review the program in six months to see if it is working. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA