LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Health officials in Clark County, Indiana say they’ve seen great success with their needle exchange program, collecting 90 percent of the needles handed out to intravenous drug users in March.
The program started in 2017 as a way to battle the HIV outbreak Scott County had with needle sharing.
During this same time last year, officials reported the return rate was only around 70 percent compared to this year.
With that success, officials say they’ve expanded from one day a week to four in 2018 to increase access to their members.
In March, the program distributed 5,309 syringes and collected 4,296 from program members.