Program battling heroin problem busier

A program meant to fight the heroin problem in Pueblo is getting busier.

Retired emergency room doctor Michael Nerenberg said the program distributed more than 25,000 syringes in May alone. Last July, it gave out a little over 6,000.

Nerenburg said the number is good because it means the program is helping, but at the same time, the number shows there is more work to do with the heroin epidemic in Pueblo County.

“It shows there is a big problem and it’s not a surprise. It’s known in the whole southern tier of Colorado, pretty much border to border is the biggest area per capita for needle drug use, and Pueblo is the epicenter of that,” he said.

The program also had close to 400 visitors in May, which is two times more than the number it received in July 2015.