FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A needle exchange program in Allen County is one step closer to reality.

The Allen County Board of Health unanimously approved the idea at a meeting Monday, according to our partners in news at 21Alive.

The program gives free, clean needles to heroin users in an attempt to fight an increase in cases of Hepatitis C and HIV due to dirty needle use. The Allen County Health Departments says as many as 400,000 people in northeast Indiana have either one or both of those diseases.

Opponents say the program encourages drug use.

The proposal now has to pass the Allen County Board of Commissioners.