The Coffee Table - Wednesday, July 19th

The desire to live a healthy life is the first step to kicking a drug or alcohol addiction. But sometimes the will, alone, isn’t enough — there needs to be a way. There’s been a shortage of ways on the central Kenai Peninsula, but three new facilities are opening up new hope to those wanting a clean start.

Homer got its first needle exchange recently. Simply called, ‘The Exchange’, the primary goal of the pilot program is to reduce the spread Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and bacterial infections among intravenous drug users by exchanging used needles and syringes for clean ones. Dr. Sarah Spencer, a local doctor board certified in addiction medicine, is overseeing this project. KBBI’s Daysha Eaton talks with Dr. Spencer.