Syringe Service Advocates Plead Case To Keep Program Going
With the clock ticking on Scott County’s syringe service program (SSP), advocates are boosting their efforts to promote it.
Healthcare workers and community members hosted a town hall in Scottsburg Tuesday to answer questions and educate people about the SSP.
Six years ago, Scott County was the epicenter of the worst drug related HIV epidemic the country had ever seen. Its syringe service program is credited with getting the outbreak under control and is now seen as the national model for how an SSP should work.
But the county’s HIV level is at its lowest level in years and the commissioners say it might be time to end the program.
READ MORE: Credited With Slowing The HIV Outbreak, Scott County’s Needle Exchange Now In Jeopardy
As the only doctor in Scott County at the outbreak of the epidemic, Dr. William Cooke has been one of the leading champions of the county’s SSP. He implored the commissioners to keep the program running.
“The syringe service program is the number one tool to decrease the spread of HIV and hepatitis C,” he said. “The commissioners partnered with us six years ago, they remained partners with us over the last six years. And we invite them to continue to partner with us to decrease the spread of HIV.”
At height of the 2015 outbreak, Scott Co. saw 22 cases of HIV in a week. In all of 2020, the county had just one case.
Phil Stucky is in long-term recovery himself and is now executive director of THRIVE Recovery Community Organization in Scottsburg. He praised the SSP for doing more than just providing clean needles – of 1,885 people who reached out to THRIVE for help last year, over a quarter of them were referred there by the county’s SSP.
County health administrator Michelle Matern said that’s why they no longer call the program a needle exchange.
“People (who use intravenous drugs) trust us. We give them access to healthcare and be a friend when they need it. And so, whenever they need something in life, like reaching out for recovery, they know where to turn.”
John Lizenby was the only county commissioner present at Tuesday’s event. He said he expected the commissioners to vote on the program’s future during their meeting Wednesday, June 2.
