Whether it be willful ignorance for the sake of scoring political points or a genuine misunderstanding of the broad range of strategies necessary to tackle a dual public health crisis in Appalachia, elected officials and policymakers are handicapping efforts against one of the major dangers accompanying our region’s substance abuse epidemic.
A KFF Health News report followed up on federal health officials’ effort a few years back to assess an outbreak of HIV in central Appalachia. The outbreak has been fueled by shared use of needles among those who inject opioids or methamphetamine.
But syringe exchange programs became an easy target for politicians who in some communities chose to put crippling restraints on them…