THE NAVY DOES NOT
TALK ABOUT WHERE ITS MISSIONS
ARE.
WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A
TRAINING OPERATION.
NOW GIVING NEEDLES TO HEROIN
ADDICTS.
THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE
SILENT KILLER AND HOW THIS
PROGRAM CAN NOT ONLY HELP USERS,
BUT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
NEEDLES.
DID YOU SEE ANY NEEDLES?
USED AND DANGEROUS.
STILL, SOUTH FLORIDA STREETS.
A PRODUCT OF THE ON GOING AND
WORSENING HEROIN AND SYNTHETIC
OPIOID EPIDEMIC.
RELAX.
HAVE BEEN CBS SHARED THIS
RESPONSE
AFTER CALL AFTER CALL OF OVER
DOSES.
THE USE OF POWERFUL
SYNTHETICS IN FLORIDA IS ON THE
RISE.
THE NEEDLES USED TO INJECT
LETHAL SUBSTANCES ARE DISCARDED
IN PARKS OR USED AGAIN AND AGAIN
AT THE RISK OF SPREADING
DISEASES.
THE WORK OF HAPPENING
HERE IN THESE SHIPPING
CONTAINERS IN MIAMI COULD HELP
TO SAVE THE COMMUNITY AND SAVE
LIVES AT THE SAME TIME.
DOCTOR
IS AT THE HOSPITAL AND WHILE HE
WAS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
HE DECIDED TO STUDY THE CONCEPT
OF THE NEEDLE EXCHANGE.
WE FOUND
THE SAME NUMBER OF THE STREETS
OF MIAMI, OVER 300.
IT TOOK YEARS FOR THE
LEGISLATION TO PASS PAVING THE
WAY FOR THE IDEA EXCHANGE.
THE
ELIMINATION ACT.
AFTER YEARS OF BLOOD SWEAT
AND TEARS, A LOT CHANGED AT THAT
TIME.
THE NATION WAS DEALING
WITH A HEROIN EPIDEMIC AND MIAMI
WAS NOT THERE.
HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO,
BRING IN OLD NEEDLES AND GET THE
NEW ONES.
THE GOAL IS TO GET
DIRTY NEEDLES OFF THE STREETS
WHICH CAN TRANSMIT DISEASES AND
HIV.
THIS WOMAN SAYS SHE'S BEEN USING
INTERVENOUS DRUGS FOR 13 YEARS.
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO GET
CLEAN BEFORE?
WHEN I'M IN THE HOSPITAL OR
IN JAIL.
THIS MARKS THE THIRD DAY OF
THE EXCHANGE.
THERE IS A LOT OF HELPPATITIS
C
AND AIDS.
THIS ROOM CAN BE FILLED WITH
UP TO 10,000 BRAND NEW NEEDLES.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT.
BUT
PEOPLE ARE NOT JUST BRINGING IN
ONE NEW NEEDLE.
1 PERSON BROUGHT
IN 400.
THIS IS HARD TO SWALLOW FOR A
LOT OF PEOPLE.
THEY THINK THE
NEEDLE EXCHANGE IS MAKING PEOPLE
INJECT AND IT'S NOT.
IT'S
HELPING PEOPLE STAY HEALTHY.
THE EXCHANGE IS A PILOT
PROGRAM AND THE STAFF PROHIBITS
IT FROM BEING FUNDED.
KEEPING THE EXCHANGE OPEN WON'T
BE EASY, BUT IT WILL BE WORTH
IT.
IF WE PREVENT TWO HIV
INFECTIONS, JUST TWO, WE WILL
HAVE PAID FOR THE PROGRAM FOR A
YEAR BECAUSE A LIFETIME COST FOR
HIV TREATMENT IS $380,000.
THIS IS A PILOT PROGRAM THAT
IS NOT FUNDED WITH TAXPAYER
MONEY.
DOCTOR SAYS IT WILL TAKE
ABOUT $500,000 A YEAR TO KEEP IT
RUNNING.