Members of Madison and Clark County Medical Societies have reviewed dismal Kentucky health statistics. A meeting Tuesday night included talk of smoking cessation and the Zika virus. Much attention also centered on bringing another needle exchange program to Central Kentucky.
Officials with the Centers of Disease Control say Kentucky has more vulnerable counties to HIV and Hepatitis C than any other state, with Wolfe county the first in the nation among risk for these communicable diseases. There is a direct correlation, according to the medical professionals, with IV drug use and poverty in these Kentucky counties.
Members of the Kentucky Medical Association and both private and public health officials attended the presentations led by Madison County Public Health Director Nancy Crewe. Crewe outlined the benefits to such a program as well provided detailed statistics about effectiveness in other areas of the country. After being approved by the Madison County Board of Health and the Kentucky Medical Association, Nancy Crewe says the next step is to put the issue before the Madison Fiscal Court.
“I think the key is education, we’re at that point with this body, and I want to again present science-based facts to them on a needle exchange.”
Crewe believes the proposed mobile unit would not enable drug users, but instead lessen the spread of infectious diseases that are reaching near epidemic proportions in Kentucky. The CDC has reported that most users, depending on drug of choice, could be using needles anywhere from 3 to 6 times a day.
Clark County is one of many counties in the beginning stages of setting up a syringe exchange program. It’s primary aim is to prevent HIV and Hepatitis C which are found within the drug injecting community.
Clark County Doctor Michael Kudek says sharing needles even between family members is increasingly common.
“The county health department agreed to do 21 needles per recipient, per week. The more needles you are using, the higher the risk of contracting a disease with those needles.”
Dr. Ardis Hoven, an infectious disease consultant with the Kentucky Department of Public Health says these needle exchanges are proven to mitigate the risk of disease, while not enabling the drug use.
“We are devastatingly right at the top of the list, so we must be proactive, no matter what county we are from in doing whatever we can in order to minimize the transmission of Hepatitis C and HIV.”
Dr. Hoven stressed that some counties have more hoops to jump through, depending on fiscal and county boards. Similar programs have been implemented all across the Commonwealth, and are showing results that not only prevent the risk of disease, but provide education and even interest in treatment programs to the recipients of the syringes.
