Needle Exchange Considered in Anderson

By 700WLW News

A needle, spoon, and narcotics bag are seen near a heroin encampment in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 2017. In North Philadelphia, railroad gulch as it is knowen, is ground zero in Philadelphia?s opioid epidemic. Known by locals as El Campanento, the open air drug market and heroin encampment is built with the discarded materials from the gulch and populated by addicts seeking a hit of heroin to keep their dope sick, or withdrawal symptoms, at bay. In one area, near the 2nd Avenue overpass, empty syringe wrappers blanket the refuse like grass the used needles they once contained poking through like thistles. According to the city Health Commission, Philadelphia is on track to see 33 percent more drug overdose deaths in 2017 over last year. / AFP PHOTO / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

( Anderson Twp ) - There is still no sign of an end to the opioid and heroin epidemic, and now leaders in one Cincinnati-area community are considering a program to stem the spread of disease.

Anderson Township trustees are weighing a proposed Bloodborne Infectious Disease Prevention Program. They're considering holding a Hamilton County-run needle exchange program a half-day per week. Sites being considered for the program are township-owned property at 6835 Kellogg (near Sutton Rd), 8330 Broadwell (just west of Mt Carmel Rd), and Mercy Health-Anderson Hospital. Trustees are holding three public meetings to get input from members of the community.

  • January 24, Anderson Senior Center, 7970 Beechmont, 3pm
  • January 24, Anderson Center Community Meeting Room, 7850 Five Mile, 6:30pm
  • January 30, Anderson Center Theater, 7850 Five Mile, 6:30pm

In a statement, Trustee President Josh Gerth says the rise in disease from "the opioid and heroin epidemic cannot be ignored." Township Administrator Vicky Earhart says one year of a needle exchange program "costs less than treating one case of HIV or four cases of Hepatitis C."

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