The Barren River District Health Department in Bowling Green estimates they're a little over a month away from setting up their local needle exchange program for intravenous drug users. One of the key provisions in the high profile heroin bill passed by the General Assembly during their session earlier this year allowed local municipalities the option of setting up the exchanges.
Disease intervention specialist Chip Krause estimates their "Harm Reduction and Syringe Access Program" will be operational by May 1st.
The program is designed to prevent the spread of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C from spreading among drug users who use dirty needles. Krause says a lot of people in the community have the wrong idea about it, thinking the health department is just helping addicts with their habits, but that's not the case, "A lot of people are pretty upset that these kinds of things do happen," he said, "but overall it's a good thing for the community because it prevents disease from spreading to some of the population that could be at risk."
Krause says even with a large college like WKU in town, they don't really see much heroin use but he says it is in the area and has to be dealt with. "You hate to say it's a big problem, but any time you have drug use with the possibility of spread of disease it is a problem and something we need to address."
