Connection Cafe urges Fayette County to preserve syringe service program after health officer pulls emergency renewal

CONNERSVILLE, Ind. — Leaders of the Connection Cafe told the Fayette County Board of Commissioners that their syringe service and harm‑reduction program has reduced infectious‑disease risks, connected people to treatment and imposed no cost on county government, and they urged the board to review the program’s data before taking action after the county health officer declined to renew an emergency declaration.

Sharman Gabbard, who runs the Connection Cafe, recounted the program’s history since 2017 and said it operates on state and private funding while providing outreach, syringe disposal, naloxone distribution and testing. "We're not asking for $1," Gabbard said, describing the program as a county resource that has delivered testing, referrals and workforce development.

Allison Green of Indiana University, a program partner, told commissioners that the group obtained a CLIA waiver to increase local HIV and hepatitis C testing and that federal, state and private funding has supported outreach and staffing. Green said the program brings people into care who otherwise would not access services and that the clinic serves as a regional hub for surrounding counties.

The immediate policy question stems from a letter Gabbard presented quoting County Health Officer Dr. Wayne White: "I will not be renewing my declaration of an opioid emergency in Fayette County." Gabbard and program staff argued the original authorization for the syringe service program rested on infectious‑disease criteria rather than an opioid emergency and said the program’s testing and treatment connections remain essential.

Commissioners and staff pressed Connection Cafe speakers for local, program‑level data about naloxone distribution and syringe pickups. Gabbard said naloxone use counts are largely self‑reported by clients and outreach workers but offered to share the program’s dashboard and other data. "We have street outreach workers... the Narcan is all self reported," Gabbard said.

County legal staff cautioned that the state statute governing public‑health emergency declarations is ambiguous on renewal and on which official must act first. The county attorney said the safest legal path would be for commissioners to seek clarification from Dr. White before attempting to act and suggested the statute’s wording could invite litigation if challenged in court.

Sheriff’s Office speakers acknowledged reservations about syringe exchanges but credited the Connection Cafe with reducing jail pressures and improving reentry outcomes. A sheriff‑affiliated speaker said, "If you give up on everybody in that jail, lives are gonna be lost," urging continued support for services that link people to care.

Street outreach coordinator Jordan described training clients in rescue techniques after overdose and recounted a case in which bystander instruction likely prevented long‑term harm. Jordan also said dispatch uses their personal number to contact outreach staff for syringe pickups.

After a sustained discussion, commissioners did not take an immediate vote. Instead they agreed to request a meeting with Dr. Wayne White to clarify whether and how a local emergency declaration should be renewed, to ask Connection Cafe for program‑level dashboards and supporting data, and to consider whether statutory language should be clarified before any formal action. The board’s chair said commissioners would follow up with Gabbard "in the not too distant future."