As state legislators fight back against the opioid epidemic, one West Virginia nurse is running a harm reduction clinic to help patients struggling with addiction, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports.
In April 2017, Angie Gray, nurse director at the Berkeley-Morgan County Health Department in Martinsburg, W.Va., launched the county's first harm reduction program with needle exchange access after witnessing the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic on her community.
Needle-exchange programs provide free access to sterile needles and syringes and make it easy to get rid of used needles and syringes safely, according to the CDC.
The state is hit particularly hard by the epidemic, with a recent report finding West Virginia faces the highest per-capita fiscal burden related to the nation's opioid crisis among all states.
Since the program started, the number of participants has grown from only a handful of people to more than 1,000 by the end of its first year.
There are at least 11 harm reduction programs in West Virginia that help people with substance use disorders, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Resources.
But some of these programs have sparked significant criticism over giving free needles to people who use illegal drugs, with opponents claiming they may only encourage more drug use. Despite these concerns, Ms. Gray and others who push these programs say they can be helpful in getting more people into long-term recovery.
The CDC reports harm reduction programs significantly cut the spread of disease and do not increase illegal drug use.
Ms. Gray provides needle exchange and education about recovery to help prevent disease or death for people with substance use disorder. The program keeps patients anonymous.
The program's staff tries to understand where each person is coming from when they use drugs — a method Ms. Gray says has helped them succeed.
Staff talk out each patient's scenario in the exam room and explain cleaner ways to use if they aren't already in recovery.
More than 100 of Ms. Gray's patients have said they entered recovery and are no longer using.