Wayne County’s commissioners unanimously chose June 4 to discontinue the county syringe exchange program that began in August 2016 aimed at reducing the county’s hepatitis C cases.
Dr. Jennifer Bales, the county health officer, had requested a one-year program extension, and the county’s Board of Health voted that there remains a county hepatitis C emergency and lent its support for an extension. In 2023, the exchange was extended two years, and that extension expires June 30.
During Bales’ May 21 presentation at the monthly commissioners and Wayne County Council workshop, she displayed state and county hepatitis C case numbers adjusted per 100,000 residents for the years the local exchange has existed. The state incidents per 100,000 fell 49.0% from 240.4 in 2016 to 122.5 in 2023, the last year for which statistics are available, and the county incidents per 100,000 fell 59.7% from 121.7 in 2016 to 49.1 in 2023. From 2021 through 2023, state cases fell 26.6% from 167.0 to 122.5, and local cases fell 32.6% from 72.9 to 49.1.
Commissioners indicated that the county decrease compared with the statewide decrease does not provide evidence the syringe exchange is impacting hepatitis C case numbers. They also decided that conducting a public hearing was not necessary.
Commissioner Brad Dwenger made the motion that after receiving Bales’ recommendation the county not pursue an extension. Dwenger voted against the 2023 extension when it passed 2-1.
“I don’t see any significant data from two years ago to now that we should extend it,” he said. “I didn’t believe then and I definitely don’t believe in it more now.”
Commissioner Aaron Roberts, who was considering the syringe program for the first time as a commissioner, provided the second.
“Due to research and different communications I’ve had with different community members that work in this every day, I will second that motion,” Roberts said.
Commissioner Jeff Plasterer voted in favor of the 2023 extension along with then-Commissioner Mary Anne Butters.
“I agree with Brad that there’s no significant data that the health department or anyone else, in my opinion, has been able to share with us that shows it is working to reduce hep C beyond what reduction there’s been statewide, and there’s only eight counties that have that program,” Plasterer said. “I would say that my inclination would be that if there were evidence that this significantly helped to reduce the hep C incidents, I would support it, but I agree we haven’t seen that data up to this point. I’m open to seeing that in the future, but at this point, I see no reason to continue the program.”
During her presentation, Bales provided overdose and naloxone use numbers that she interpreted to mean the county continues having an intravenous drug use problem, and she said the hepatitis C numbers, although reduced, show a needle-sharing problem. The county has not had a problem with new HIV cases, with no new cases occurring in 2024, but Bales said not addressing a hepatitis C problem generally leads to an HIV problem.
The exchange program provides contact with intravenous drug users to address other health issues and offer addiction treatment. Bales said a new syringe exchange participant becomes 50% more likely to seek treatment.
Reid Health funds purchase of the program’s syringes, and the Wayne County Health Department provides staffing and other supplies. The program has been twice weekly at Centerstone’s North 15th Street location in Richmond.
After the commissioners’ vote, the health department posted on Facebook that the program’s final day will be June 27. After that, used syringes may be dropped off at the health department, 100 S. Fifth St., Richmond, and naloxone and condoms will be available between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
A version of this article appeared in the June 11 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.