Yesterday evening in Richmond, you may have noticed a white van with the Madison County Health Department logo emblazoned on the side sitting on Gibson Drive. However, this was in no way tied to this week’s shooting in the same location. The van was there in order to kick off the long-awaited and planned Syringe Exchange Program for Madison County.
WBON-TV spoke to Public Information Officer for the Health Department Jim Thacker for an update since the last story we did regarding the program, which was in its final planning stages just a few short weeks ago.
Since then, MCHD has made huge strides to get the program up and running by deadline. Today, the van made its inaugural trip to Berea where it awaited patients who had needles to exchange in order to mitigate the spread of blood borne diseases.
Thacker said that there was some initial hesitation, and the staff on the van (which will almost always include one nurse) noticed drivers circling the area with interest last night. However, possibly because of the shooting and fears of increased police presence, Thacker said no needles were handed out just yet.
Watch the video above to get the full story on the new program, which is anticipated to grow once it gets off and running.
