Hopkinsville City Council Tuesday night approved a resolution for creation a Harm Reduction program and an ordinance renaming a portion of West First Street as Phillip Meacham Way.
The ordinance renames a 768 foot section of West First Street running west from the intersection of North Main Street and East First Street to Riverfront Drive and Phillip Meacham way, in memory of the fallen Hopkinsville Police Department officer. Officer Meacham died in the line of duty in March of 2018.
Council also approved a resolution supporting the establishment of a Harm Reduction Program through the local Board of Health for Hopkinsville and Christian County. A needle exchange is part of the initiative and would allow a drug user to take used needles to a predetermined location to exchange them for clean replacements. The objective is to prevent the reuse of needles and to slow the spread of infectious disease within the community.
Emily Greene with the health department says the program will not be only about handing out clean needles, it will also be aimed at community education and counseling services.
She says if one person manages to break the struggle of addiction, the program will have been a success.
It was approved unanimously, and was also approved recently by Christian Fiscal Court, paving the way for the health department to get the program organized. No action was taken involving the mayor’s recent vetoing of a non-partisan elections ordinance—council has until the August 4 meeting to bring forth a motion to override the veto, or the ordinance will not come into effect. If the motion to override the veto passes with eight or more votes, the ordinance would then become effective.