The Northern Kentucky Health Department and NKyTribune staff
The Northern Kentucky Independent District Health department has released its plan to administer a syringe access exchange program in Grant County.
Implementation of the program, which will begin Wednesday, March 16, is possible because the Grant County Fiscal Court and the Williamstown City Council approved needle exchange in their respective jurisdictions.
The Health Department has provided the following outline for implementation of the Grant County program
PROGRAM GOALS
*Reduce transmission of diseases and infections spread by injection drug use.
*Reduce the amount of contaminated needles and syringes improperly discarded in the community.
*Act as an access point for individuals to obtain connections to treatment for substance use disorders, health care, counseling and other social services.
HOW WILL THE PROGRAM OPERATE?
Northern Kentucky’s program has been modeled after successful programs throughout the country. It uses a cost-effective approach with best practices for disease prevention by utilizing existing staff and health centers already set up for providing services to this population.
The program is open to anyone who uses injection drugs.
Exchange of needles and oral HIV testing will be provided anonymously; however, other health services, such as blood tests for hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis, pregnancy tests, and immunizations will be provided confidentially. Most participants will come weekly for clean syringes and other services.
Substance abuse counseling will be available.
Syringes and equipment provided through the syringe access exchange program are free of charge to the participant. Clinical services beyond the exchange of equipment and rapid testing for hepatitis C and HIV may be billed per the regular sliding scale fee or to a third party payor if participant is enrolled.
No participant will be turned away for inability to pay.
Initially, the program will operate from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons. The clinic flow has been analyzed at the health center, and syringe access exchange services are designed to have minimal interruption to other health center services.
Participants for syringe exchange will follow a separate, streamlined process for services. All participants are required to agree to a list of Participant Rights and Responsibilities. Items covered by this policy include safely disposing of contaminated equipment and refraining from drug use on Health Department property. Violations can result in dismissal from the program.
Specially trained Health Department nurses will staff the program, with one nurse serving as the primary provider. If client volume for syringe access is higher, additional staff can be assigned to assist with the program. If client volume for syringe exchange is low, the nurse can provide other public health services.
Participants in the syringe access exchange program will be offered a variety of referrals for other health and social services, including:
*Treatment for a substance use disorder
*Other Health Department programs such as enrollment in health insurance coverage for those eligible, HIV case management, sexually transmitted disease treatment, family planning, etc.
*Primary medical care
*Mental health care
EVALUATION
As with any new program, the Health Department will closely evaluate the syringe access exchange program to ensure the program is working and to drive any changes that need to be made. Data will be shared with the District Board of Health as well as others in the community.
Items to be tracked include:
*Number of unduplicated participants with demographics such as age, ZIP code of residence and gender
*Frequency of intravenous injection
*Estimated number of needles brought to the exchange for proper disposal
*Number of needles issued
*Number of vaccines provided
*Number of tests for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis C and pregnancy, and rates of positivity for each
*Number of participants entering treatment for substance use disorders
*Number of participants enrolled in health insurance coverage through kynect
*Number of police and/or EMS runs to the health center for addressing issues related to individuals’ injection drug use.