Mobile unit to visit Danville offering free naloxone/disease testing Kits available for those living with opioid addicts or those recovering

Published 9:21 am Tuesday, January 31, 2017

A mobile unit will be coming to Danville in a few weeks, providing free naloxone and HIV and Hepatitis C testing to those who need it. 

Naloxone is a drug that can be given to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. The kits will be made available to those who live with someone with an untreated opiate addiction, or for those who are recovering. 

The unit is provided by the Boyle County Health Department, Kentucky Pharmacists Association and the KentuckyDepartment of Public Health. 

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Boyle’s health department director, Brent Blevins, said, “It’s really awesome because these things are expensive. We are very fortunate to receive the kits from the state for no cost.”

Blevins said naloxone kits can cost around $80. 

Along with distributing free naloxone kits, the mobile unit will also provide free HIV and Hepatitis C testing and counseling. Representatives will be on-hand to explain how to use the naloxone kits, Blevins said, and there will be resources available for recovery and health issues related to HIV and Hepatitis C. 

“This is a great opportunity for our county, and we appreciate so much the state health folks thinking of our needs in Boyle County,” Boyle County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy Director Kathy Miles said. 

The mobile unit will be in the parking lot of the health department 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 17. The health department is located at 448 S. Third St.

SO YOU KNOW

According to the Centers for Disease and Control (www.cdc.gov): People who inject drugs are at risk for Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection through the sharing of needles and drug-preparation equipment. In addition, outbreaks of Hepatitis A infection have been reported among drug users;  such outbreaks are believed to occur through both percutaneous and fecal-oral routes. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends drug users get vaccinated against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B. Because of higher rates of infection among this population, CDC also recommends testing anyone who has injected drugs for HBV and HCV infection.