Monroe County residents will get a chance to weigh in on whether the community should adopt a syringe exchange program during a public hearing Friday.
Health officials hope an exchange will help reduce rising Hepatitis C rates.
This is the second step toward establishing a syringe exchange program in Monroe County. The health department already declared a public health emergency last month.
Like other communities throughout the state, Monroe County decided to look into its Hepatitis C rates after hearing of the HIV outbreak in southern Indiana.
"This gave everyone a wake-up call and an opportunity to look at the data and what we found was our numbers are steadily increasing and they don't appear to be declining, despite the services we have in the community," says Public Health Administrator Penny Caudill.
After hearing from the public, commissioners will vote on whether to move forward with requesting an exchange.
In order for it to be implemented, it must then be approved by the state health commissioner.