Health department receives grant for syringe exchange program, mobile clinic van

July 19, 2019 | 3:30 am

Updated July 18, 2019 | 11:03 pm

Green River District Health Department received a $75,000 grant that will go toward the agency’s syringe exchange program and a mobile clinic van. According to officials at GRDHD, this mobile unit will provide flexibility for both clients and operators of the local syringe exchange program.

GRDHD Director of Public Health Clay Horton said the $75,000 grant was one of five that were issued to health departments across the state through the Kentucky Department of Public Health.

“They bought the vans and gave health departments across the state an opportunity to submit proposals,” Horton said. “We felt pretty fortunate to get it. We’re a seven-county district, but some counties are sharing a van. Out of all the departments who submitted proposals, we were the [department] furthest west that got a van.”

Since going live in February, the Owensboro-based needle exchange program, titled Green River Exchange (GRE) has remained steady, Horton said. The program — one of many that exists across Kentucky, including nearby Henderson — provides clean needles to intravenous drug users who exchange their used needles in return. GRE’s primary focus is in combating the spread of diseases such as AIDS, HIV and hepatitis in the seven-district area it serves.

“The program has been steady since opening in February in Daviess County and Henderson,” Horton said. “For Daviess County, through the end of last month, we’ve seen 44 unique clients and a total of 88 visits so far. Daviess County is certainly off to a busier start than Henderson is.”

Though other counties across the state have seen high numbers of opioid use, Daviess County’s primary concern is methamphetamine. Those who’ve been utilizing GRE have primarily been abusers of meth, Horton said, which can also be injected intravenously.

The clinic van will be used as a mobile site for the needle exchange program, but it will serve a variety of other purposes too, Horton said. With built-in air conditioning and cabinets, the van can be used as a waiting room, an examination room and any other type of off-site location that’s needed.

“We’ll primarily be using it for harm reduction, risk reduction and mobile vaccinations,” Horton said, adding that the van could serve an important purpose in instances such as Kentucky’s recent hepatitis A outbreak.

GRDHD will also use the grant money to hire a part-time peer support specialist who can relate to clients in GRE and recommend services beyond the syringe exchange program.

“They will talk with individuals about recovery options and encourage them to get tested regularly,” Horton said. “Many of our clients say they get tested, but it’s been two years for a lot of them. We encourage users to get tested every three months.”

Horton said a schedule will be made in the near future regarding the van’s hours of operation and location sites.

July 19, 2019 | 3:30 am

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