Pence should be proactive on HIV

Think the outbreak of HIV couldn’t happen here?
Think again.
Much to the dismay of those in law enforcement and those who deal with troubled families and children, heroin use is on the rise in rural Indiana. 
If you doubt that, take a few minutes to listen to Pastor Randy Davis. He’s the United Methodist minister with churches in Redkey and Dunkirk who has been the driving force behind Brianna’s Hope — A Better Life. 
It’s a grassroots program aimed at helping individuals — and their families — dealing with addiction issues. It’s not a program with a magic wand or inflated promises. Instead it’s an entry-point for person-to-person contact and support. It’s a path, a path that can lead those battling addiction to professional help, a path that isn’t walked alone.
The problem, Pastor Randy will assure you, is real.
And now, the sharing of needles makes it deadly.
Scott County’s recent outbreak of HIV has been directly tied to the sharing of needles by heroin users. 
Of course, it’s dumb to share a needle someone else has used; but heroin use isn’t something born from rational thought. It springs from an inner emptiness, and when that emptiness needs to be filled, little things like sanitation and security and health fall by the wayside.
To his credit, Gov. Mike Pence has allowed for a needle exchange program to address the crisis in Scott County. It goes against his principles, but he’s smart enough to know that when faced with an emergency you use every tool at your disposal.
The governor has repeatedly stressed his opposition to a statewide needle exchange program, and to some extent that is understandable. He doesn’t want state policy to make it easier for people to abuse dangerous drugs. He doesn’t want to seem to give the state’s seal of approval to destructive behavior.
But if there is an effective way to address a public health problem, why wait until the problem reaches the crisis stage? 
Why put out fires with executive orders rather than prevent those fires in the first place?
The best approach, it seems to us, would be one that was statewide and emphasized prevention rather than crisis management. Don’t wait for the next Scott County.
The second best would be to authorize the State Board of Health to approve needle exchange programs as health professionals deemed advisable. That wouldn’t be perfect, but it would at least move a public health issue from the realm of politicians to the realm of medicine. — J.R.