Skilled Nursing Fac. The Allegheny County Health Department has scheduled three public hearings to accept comment on whether a needle exchange program should be implemented in the County in an effort to curb HIV infection in intravenous drug users. If adequate support exists, we would recommend to the Board of Health that a pilot program be developed and evaluated to find out whether exchanging clean needles for used ones reduces the HIV infection rate among the County's intravenous drug users. Dr. Dixon emphasized that if any kind of needle exchange program is implemented by the Health Department, it would include HIV testing and also offer drug treatment to participants. Heterosexual intravenous drug users ranked second only to men who have sex with men among those who tested positive last year in the Health Department's HIV testing program.
Testimony is limited to ten minutes per person and a written copy of the comments is requested.
Anyone unable to attend the hearings may submit comments in writing until May 24.