County to Consider Offering Needle Exchange Program

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

County to Consider Offering Needle Exchange Program

Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com) (12/18/00) P. B1
Surman, Matt

The Ventura County (Calif.) Public Health Department is recommending a needle exchange program to slow hepatitis and HIV infection rates. Public Health Officer Robert Levin will ask the Board of Supervisors to declare a county emergency, and members of a county coalition of law enforcement agencies say they will not fight the program, even though they do not think it will work. District Attorney Michael Bradbury says that the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee will shut down the exchange if it seems to be a threat to public safety. Supervisor John K. Flynn says that he thinks the issue is one of public health; public health officer Dr. Robert Levin believes that the exchange could hinder three to eight cases of HIV infection and six to 20 cases of hepatitis C per year.
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