In February, the Indiana State Department of Health announced an HIV outbreak in rural Scott County. Thirty people had tested positive just since December, and most of the cases were linked to injection drug abuse of a potent prescription opioid called Opana.

Since then, the number of cases has grown to more than 170. Kevin Polly was one of those infected.

The uninsured rate in the US has dropped sharply down to 12 percent since the Affordable Care Act went into effect. But one group has been left out of that trend. For low-income immigrants – especially the undocumented – it can be nearly impossible to get insured.

Fayette County is like a lot of other rural counties these days, where rates of injection drug abuse and of hepatitis C are on the rise, but funding for preventative measures like needle exchanges is scarce. Most syringe exchange programs, which have been shown to reduce the spread of disease, are located in cities. Only one in five are found in rural areas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But change could be on the way. Last month, President Obama signed the omnibus spending bill, which includes language to lift restrictions on using federal funds for needle exchanges. Money still can’t be used to purchase needles themselves, but can help pay for staff and other supplies.

A ballot initiative asks voters to support an income tax increase to fund more frequent bus service, which proponents argue will get more people riding and ultimately improve the city’s health. Indianapolis is not the only city considering the value of transit. Around the country — from Raleigh to Detroit to Sacramento — other cities will also be deciding about funding their own transit systems on November 8th.

One proven way to help people with addiction is to give health care providers access to their patient's prescription narcotic history. For years, Missouri was the only state in the country without a so-called prescription drug monitoring program. That changed last month when Missouri's Governor Eric Greitens created one by executive order. But Side Effects Public Media’s Bram Sable-Smith reports it may not do what’s really needed.