SUPERVISORS TAKE STEP TO LEGALIZE NEEDLE SWAP

Alameda County supervisors have unanimously declared a public health
emergency for AIDS and hepatitis C, opening the door to public funding of a
volunteer needle exchange program.

With Tuesday's vote, the county joined the cities of Oakland and Berkeley
and Contra Costa County in taking advantage of a new state law, effective
January 1, to decriminalize needle exchange programs.

The county's public health department will ask supervisors next month to
approve $314,500 to expand services now provided by the nonprofit HIV
Education and Prevention Project of Alameda County. In addition to needle
exchanges, the organization offers educational programs and provides
services such as HIV testing.

Chris Catchpool, the group's executive director, said the emergency
declaration means his group no longer will have to operate ``underground''
as an illegal organization, as it has for seven years. He said the
organization exchanges 17,000 new syringes weekly for used ones at three
Oakland sites, at an annual cost of $95,000 for new needles and disposal of
used ones.