BALTIMORE, MD (January 7, 2016)– Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen issued the following statement commending Congress’s decision to effectively lift the federal funding ban for needle exchange programs under a provision in the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act:

“In Baltimore, our health department has conducted needle exchange for over 20 years. More than 8 million clean syringes have been distributed to clients throughout the city, preventing thousands of clients from contracting HIV and hepatitis C. The percentage of HIV diagnoses attributed to drug use has fallen from nearly 63 percent to an all-time low of 11 percent.

Our experience is consistent with data from the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization: that needle exchange decreases disease transmission and does not increase drug use. In fact, our program is an avenue to connect people with drug treatment services.

By effectively ending the ban on the use of government funds for needle exchange programs, Congress has made a critical first step in helping every state implement this evidence based policy that has proven to save lives.

Baltimore is committed to working with our federal partners —and now partners across the county —to stop the spread of HIV and hepatitis, provide critical medical services that our communities need, and most importantly, save lives.”