KY heroin needle exchange aimed at curbing disease скачать в хорошем качестве

KY heroin needle exchange aimed at curbing disease

GRANT COUNTY, Ky. (Adam Clements) - As the heroin epidemic has grown in Northern Kentucky, so has the spread of disease. The health department blames needle sharing. Wednesday, it's launching a new program aimed at cutting into the dangerous practice. Things have gotten bad in Northern Kentucky. Heroin is everywhere and that means dirty, used needles are also everywhere. But, beginning Wednesday, addicts will have a chance to receive clean and sterile syringes simply by handing over their old ones. The Northern Kentucky Health Department will open its Grant County location for anyone who wants to take advantage of the exchange. The goal is not to cure the heroin epidemic, although they will be offering help for those who would like to seek treatment, but more so to get those dirty syringes that are often shared between users off the street. If that happens, health officials believe fewer diseases will be spread among users, making the entire community drastically safer. Jennifer Hunter, from the Kentucky Department of Health, said, "One of the secondary outcomes of heroin addiction is sharing needles. Which then, you also share whatever is in your bloodstream with the person that you're using with. Hepatitis C and HIV are common in high risk populations for those who share syringes." The Independence district, which is made up of Grant, Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties, has a rate 19 times higher than the national average when it comes to diagnosed Hepatitis C cases. Health officials say it's only a matter of time before we a see a large wave of HIV cases in the region.