HIV spreads as opioid users share needles

When opioid users began injecting drugs, infections and hepatitis C foreshadowed another issue: HIV spreading so much it became a local epidemic in Austin, Indiana. William Cooke, MD, has received national attention and accolades for his work with the opioid epidemic and an HIV epidemic in the small town where he leads Foundations Family Medicine. He described his experiences in his book, “Canary in the Coal Mine: A Forgotten Rural Community, A Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People.”