Fiscal Court OKs resolution in support of needle-exchange program

Judge-Executive Dean Watts presents County Engineer Jim Lemieux with a plaque honoring his years of service upon his pending retirement following nearly 26 years as a county employee.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, 1 p.m. — Nelson Fiscal Court approved a resolution Tuesday morning in support of creating a needle and syringe exchange program here in Nelson County.

The measure is not intended to enable drug users, but to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C, Judge Executive Dean Watts told the members of fiscal court.

Representatives from the Lincoln Trail Health Department were on hand to answer the magistrates’ questions about how such a program would work, its possible benefits and potential cost.

The program would be funded entirely and administered by the local health department, Watts explained.

According to health department officials, Nelson County has a Hepatitis infection rate that exceeds both the state and national averages. The cost of one course of treatment of Hepatitis C is more than $80,000, health officials said. A needle exchange program reduces the likelihood of the spread of disease with the use of dirty or used needles.

A needle exchange program is a way to bring addicts in and help them get access to other needed services, like healthcare or other services. Once that relationship is established, the program can also be an avenue for addicts to seek out treatment should they wish to do so.

Determining how many people will access the program is unknown, Watts explained. “You’ll never know what good it can do if you don’t have it,” he said.

Magistrate Keith Metcalfe expressed concern about the need for such a program and how it would be funded.

The cost of the program is less than treating the disease, health department officials said. There’s no real way to determine how many people will take advantage of the program, though existing data states that a number of Nelson County residents are taking part in the needle exchange programs outside Nelson County.

If approved, the local needle exchange program is anticipated to operate one day a week until time that the need requires additional availability.  The needle exchange typically is a one-for-one exchange — one clean needle for every dirty needle turned in.

Because the health department is located in the city, the Bardstown City Council will need to approve of a similar resolution in order for the needle exchange program to become a reality. He expressed hope that the council will see the need for such a program in the wake of the growing numbers of IV drug users grows.

RETIREE HONORED. County engineer Jim Lemieux, was honored for his nearly 26 years of service as solid waste manager and county engineer with the presentation of plaque during today’s court meeting.

Lemieux provided oversight and engineering for many projects in county government, Watts explained. “There’s been no county employee whose contributed more to this community than Jim Lemieux,” he said.

Watts said after he was elected judge-executive, one of the first projects Lemieux worked on was construction of more than 90 miles of rural water lines. Later, Lemieux worked on the landfill, helped upgrade the county road system, designed numerous bridges and culverts, and assisted with engineering and upgrades to all county buildings. Most recently, he worked on engineering at the Nelson County Industrial Park.

“There’s no success than can happen without good people,” Watts said of Lemieux.

In other action, the court:

— gave final approval to a measure that will give employees called out for a county emergency a minimum of four hours pay.

— approved purchase of two loader systems for two of Nelson County EMS’s newest ambulances.

— heard that the county’s garbage pickup will not change during the coming Christmas and New Year’s holldays.

— approved a bid of $11,000 for repairs to the Nelson County Civic Center roof cap.

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