Blog Posts > As Kanawha Faces an HIV Outbreak, Legislation Would Make Running Harm Reduction Programs that Could Help More Difficult
February 28, 2021

As Kanawha Faces an HIV Outbreak, Legislation Would Make Running Harm Reduction Programs that Could Help More Difficult

Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch – As Kanawha County faces an impending HIV outbreak that could cost billions in taxpayer dollars, the West Virginia Senate’s Health and Human Resources Committee entertained a bill Thursday that would make it more difficult to operate programs proven to slow such diseases and save lives. Read the full article.

Senate Bill 334 would create a licensure program mandatory for any harm reduction program looking to operate in the state. To be licensed, a program would need letters of support from the county commission, sheriff and health officer of any county they intend to operate in.

The bill also would keep any program running a syringe service program — a tool proven through years of worldwide research to decrease disease spread and lessen drug use habits — from receiving any state-funded support.

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