Clark County Health Department syringe-exchange program relocates to mobile unit after zoning objections

The Clark County Health Department’s syringe-exchange program has found a new way to operate after an extension of the initiative required the program to meet location rules, including obtaining permission to distribute or exchange syringes near churches and schools. Health department officials said the program now runs three days a week from a mobile unit staffed by department workers parked at West Maple Baptist Church, after one nearby house of worship objected to the program’s presence.

The program was first authorized in Indiana in 2015 after an HIV outbreak in Scott County, according to the background provided by WAVE 3. The Clark County Health Department launched its exchange program about two years later, and officials said it is designed to connect people who inject drugs with medical testing and treatment, not only with sterile syringes.

Clark County Health Department Administrator Doug Bentfield told WAVE 3 that the program provides “access getting into medical treatment programs,” and said clients can receive HIV testing, STD testing, and treatment. He said Indiana lawmakers in 2026 extended the syringe-exchange measure for another five years, with changes to how programs must operate.

Under the updated requirements described by WAVE 3, needle exchange programs must conduct a one-to-one exchange and clients must provide identification. The measure also limits where exchanges can occur unless the health department has permission to be within 1,000 feet of schools or churches to distribute or exchange syringes.

Bentfield said the health department reached out to those that would fall under the category of a school or a church, and that one site gave an official objection while another did not respond. As a result, he said the program now uses the mobile unit approach and reduced schedule, operating three days a week from the West Maple Baptist Church parking area to comply with the new location restrictions.

The church is part of a broader community partnership, WAVE 3 reported. Jesus Cares at Exit Zero Director Paul Strensrud said the group works with the program and provides services for people seeking help, including food, showers, and laundry, and he said the exchange program should be brought to Exit Zero. Officials said the program’s design is intended to maintain access to testing and medical pathways while meeting the procedural and location limits set by the 2026 extension.

The health department said it is pleased that the program continues under the revised law and added that it also coordinates additional outreach services, according to WAVE 3. Across other states, similar programs have adjusted operations and access during public health disruptions, Harm Reduction Ohio reported in 2020, though the Clark County arrangement described by WAVE 3 centers on the updated Indiana legal requirements rather than pandemic-era restrictions. Under the Indiana extension, the next steps for program operations depend on continued compliance with the one-to-one exchange rule, client identification requirements, and the ongoing permissions tied to nearby schools and churches.