CABELL COUNTY, W.Va. –After 10 years, the Cabell Huntington Health Department will be ending its syringe distribution program, which is a part of the larger harm reduction initiative.

The program, also known as the needle exchange program, began in September 2015. Its goal was to provide sterile syringes and collect used ones to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

Holly Smith Mount, who serves on the program’s advisory board and is a Huntington City Councilwoman, said this part of the program could not be funded with taxpayer money, meaning it was supported through private donations and grants.

Smith Mount said they have fallen on hard times because of the way federal funding has shifted in recent years.

“It’s a hard thing, especially right now, a lot of funding is shifting, a lo

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