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Alachua County selects WellFlorida to operate syringe‑exchange program; county cannot fund the exchange itself
Summary
Health staff updated the commission Feb. 22 that WellFlorida Council will operate a county syringe‑exchange program under Florida's Infectious Disease Elimination Act; state law bars county funds for the exchange itself, and program start depends on grant awards.
Alachua County staff presented an update on the county’s planned sterile syringe‑exchange program at the Feb. 22 meeting and said WellFlorida Council (represented by Kaylen Lewis) has been selected as the syringe‑exchange operator.
"Under the law, county commissions can authorize a syringe exchange program," Kaylen Lewis, HIV program director at WellFlorida Council, told the board. She noted that Florida’s Infectious Disease Elimination Act—enacted in 2019—permits county programs but limits funding: "no state County or municipal funds can be used to support the program." Operators must identify private or federal grant funding to support operations.
Program model and…
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