“Needle exchange programs are evidence-based strategies that prevent transmission of blood-borne viruses, reduce injection-related infections, improve access to medical care, and facilitate entry into substance dependence programs for people who inject drugs,” writes Dr. Farah Houdroge, Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia, with coauthors.
West Virginia city once battered by opioid overdoses confronts ‘fourth wave’
From 2006 through 2014, more than 81 million painkiller pills were shipped to this city and surrounding rural Cabell County.