Will Anderson Township welcome syringe exchange?

A syringe exchange program could be coming to this East Side neighborhood as leaders work to curb alarming spikes of HIV and hepatitis C they say have been driven by the opioid epidemic. Hamilton County saw a 34 percent spike in new HIV cases last year, with 184 newly diagnosed cases. Northern Kentucky logged 37 new cases in 2017. Public health officials say the programs, which give IV drug users clean needles and offer a range of testing and medical services, are critical and proven to reduce the spread of life-threatening and costly infectious diseases. But in some parts of the region, similar programs have received considerable pushback. Opponents argue the services enable illegal behavior because they provide tools to use drugs.