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Thomas Ouellette
Julie Fultz is director of infectious disease services at Aspire Indiana Health, which runs the Madison County Needle Exchange program. She says it's had a positive impact on the community.

00;00;09;23 - 00;00;14;25
Julie Fultz
In 2024. We served just over 700 individuals.

00;00;15;00 - 00;00;34;29
Thomas Ouellette
In addition to county approval, the needle exchange programs that began in the wake of the 2015 Scott County HIV epidemic need approval from the state as well. If the state doesn't do that, programs will end July 1st, 2026. Madison County is one of eight approved counties. Fultz told commissioners that there's a lot of misinformation surrounding the purpose of the program.

00;00;35;01 - 00;00;42;27
Julie Fultz
Much, much more than just the distribution of sterile services to people who use drugs. That's just a tiny, tiny instance of what we do as a program.

00;00;43;00 - 00;01;03;19
Thomas Ouellette
She says its main goal is to prevent diseases spread through the use of dirty needles. There was one no vote to continue the program. Commissioner Rick Gardner said that he couldn't support it after hearing of cases of children and other citizens being pierced by discarded needles. The Indiana Department of Health did not respond to questions about the state's current stance on needle exchange programs.

00;01;03;21 - 00;01;06;14
Thomas Ouellette
In Anderson, Thomas Ouellette IPR news.