Syringe exchange remaining open in Cabell County despite new law herald-dispatch.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from herald-dispatch.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Justice signed Senate Bill 334, the Senate clerk reported Thursday.
SB 334 establishes a licensing program within the state Department of Health and Human Resources for harm reduction programs operating syringe exchange programs. All new and existing programs will need to apply to the Office for Health Facility Licensure and Certification. Programs will need support from the majority of the county commission and the majority of the governing body of a municipality.
For example, the Cabell-Huntington Health Department will need support from the Cabell County Commission and Huntington City Council.
Programs must offer a full array of harm reduction services, like referrals to treatment and HIV testing, and operate toward a goal of turning in a used syringe in order to receive a new one. A West Virginia ID will be required, and syringes must be âuniqueâ to the program.
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HUNTINGTON â While Republicans say it wonât, health leaders in West Virginia say a bill passed by the state Senate last week means the end of syringe exchanges in the state, which has two of the worst HIV outbreaks in the country.
âIâm sorry that the misconception is this bill has sought compromise that would allow continued operation of syringe service programs,â said Dr. Michael Kilkenny, health officer for the Cabell-Huntington Health Department. âI do not see that harm reduction programs or syringe program aspects could continue under this if it becomes law.â
Senate Bill 334, passed by the Senate on March 9, establishes a licensing program within the state Department of Health and Human Resources for harm reduction programs operating syringe exchange programs.