Fayette County health officials in eastern Indiana are trying to learn from the HIV outbreak in Scott County as they consider implementing a needle exchange of their own.
Connersville in Fayette County has been fighting a high rate of heroin use for decades, and the sharing of needles has caused a recent spike in diseases, according to the Fayette County Health Department.
There have been 71 cases of Hepatitis C cases in the first half of this year, which is the same number it was in all of 2014.
Hepatitis C is a disease that often goes hand in hand with HIV because it can be transmitted the same way, and Scott County, which has been the epicenter of an HIV epidemic, saw a rise in its Hepatitis C rates before HIV was detected.
That is why county officials met last week to consider implementing a needle exchange under recently passed legislation.
"We have reports of syringes in our dugouts at our Babe Ruth ball field," says Paula Maupin, the Fayette County nurse. "I've seen needles behind the gas stations and officers have reported getting stuck when they're frisking people. I would love to see that cut down."
Maupin attributes the high rates of drug use to a decline in Connersville's economy.
The town relies on industrial jobs, but companies have moved out of the town in recent years. Now, dozens of large industrial facilities sit vacant, dotted with "for sale" signs and graffiti.
"There's nothing for the younger generation to do here," Maupin says, adding that many of those younger people are using drugs together and sharing needles.
Fayette County hopes to follow the lead of Scott County, which recently created a needle exchange to combat its HIV epidemic that has infected more than 160 people.
So far, it seems to be working. The spread of the virus is tapering off, with only a few new cases being reported in the past two weeks.
But there are still a lot of questions that have to be answered before an exchange could be implemented in Fayette County.
Scott County received a flood of assistance from the state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and health organizations across the state when the extent of the HIV outbreak became known.
There is no guarantee the same kind of help will come to Fayette County, which doesn't have many health resources on its own.
While the need for a needle exchange was evident in Scott County, Fayette County health experts think the community might not be receptive to an exchange in their county, fearing needles will be handed out with no restrictions.
Fayette Regional Health System CEO Randy White says he was skeptical of a needle exchange until he met with county officials to consider their options.
"Putting some numbers around the cost to our community both socioeconomically and just the way people view your county, [having an outbreak] would be more devastating to us than not doing something," White says.
If the county decides to move forward, it will have to formally request approval from the Indiana State Department of Health.
