Indiana house committee passes needle exchange program

[salin]

http://wlfi.com/2015/03/30/house-panel-passes-needle-exchange-bill-over-hiv-outbreak/

House panel passes needle exchange bill over HIV outbreak
By Associated Press Published: March 30, 2015, 3:55 pm
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — In response to the HIV outbreak in southern Indiana, House committee members approved a bill Monday that would allow high-risk counties to implement their own needle exchange program to help prevent the future spread of diseases.

Health officials say 81 people who either live in Scott County or have ties to the area have tested positive for HIV, 74 of which are confirmed and seven are preliminary positive HIV cases. The area typically sees only about five HIV cases each year.

Needle exchange programs are illegal in Indiana. But last week, Gov. Mike Pence issued an executive order declaring a public health emergency that allows officials in Scott County, an economically depressed area about 30 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky, to request state approval for a limited, short-term program.

The proposal approved Monday by the Public Health Committee takes the effort combat HIV one step further by allowing the top 23 counties with the highest rate per population of hepatitis C to establish their own needle exchange program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 50-90 percent of people with hepatitis C are also infected with HIV. Health officials say because of this, high rates of hepatitis C are a key indicator of needle sharing and a potential HIV outbreak.

More at link

The leg and gov have been very anti-needle exchange (you know WarOnDrugs!) But a crisis has spiked to epidemic levels in one county. I believe that the day before the Gov. waded into the current Indiana Fiasco (that is signed the religious freedom bill into law) he issued a 30 day executive order to lift the ban on a very limited scale (and just for 30 days).

I missed this yesterday - but apparently a house committee moved a bill forward to (years after such programs have been proven to be effective) - to create a program.

[pinto]

1. 30 days is a very short term, band aid approach unfortunately.

What has been well documented as effective is an ongoing, comprehensive approach. I hope public health folks speak up and support one.

[salin]

2. Sadly, comprehensive - public health - Indiana + stigmatized and

vilified people at-risk ... these things don't often mix well together here. We can hope.

The gov. fix was very short - but the fact that a house committee acted within 2-business days suggests that he did intend for the lift on the ban would give time for a bigger fix.

This part of the state is very rural - many scattered (not far apart) very small communities (1,000-4,000) with often very little local infrastructure.

The only hopeful thing right now is that a local (r) sheriff started raising the flag on concern and need for intervention - and that now the local state sen (r), and a few house reps have started calls for action - and moved something forward.

[pinto]

3. The support, or at least benign acquiescence, of law enforcement in our county was one key.

Public Health officials spearheaded the efforts for local legalization, the Board of Supervisors were on board and, ultimately, the buy-in from law enforcement sealed the deal.