Scott County reacts to year-long needle exchange program
Southeastern Indiana’s Scott County has been operating an emergency needle exchange to combat an HIV outbreak for more than a month. It recently received approval from the state to continue the program for a year. But needle exchanges are not without controversy. Critics say handing out clean needles enables drug use, while others point to evidence showing that exchanges reduce the spread of disease. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Jake Harper reports that getting the Scott County community to accept the idea was a process that in some ways is still ongoing.