MINISTER OFFERING CLEAN NEEDLES IN ECORSE

The Rev. Richard Harris and Latino Family Services are offering clean
needles to drug users in the Ecorse, Mich., area in hopes of fighting
the spread of HIV. Harris, who is also president of a program that
provides tutoring and other programs for children, said certified
workers would give drug users clean needles in exchange for used
syringes. The program also could help residents with medical
conditions who use needles for their medication.

Latino Family Services will donate a van to enable workers to travel
into areas where known drug users live. They will rely on needle
donations from area doctors and pharmacists and will provide bleach
kits to sanitize equipment. This agency has been offering syringe
exchanges in Detroit since 1988. Harris started his Resurrection of a
Child's Mind organization in 1995 to provide services for children in
Wayne County's Ecorse. He bought a house from the city for $1 and
began the nonprofit center where youngsters come to study and do
homework. Harris financed the effort himself until 1999, when he
received the group's first grant. Since then, a variety of
organizations have provided funds and supplies, including computers,
computer software and meals. Now, Harris hopes to lease another
building to house the needle exchange program. "What we have now is an
epidemic -HIV," Harris told the Detroit News. "It's spreading so fast.
People want to sweep it under the carpet, but you can't."