Big Break Is Possible for Small Crusade

Ron Daniels, one of two full-time employees at PreventionWorks!, oversees the group's street outreach program, which features a roving Winnebago. (By Carol Guzy -- The Washington Post)

At Barahona's office recently, a man wearing a red bandanna shuffled through the door carrying a bag under his arm. His face was gaunt, but his forearms were swollen. He appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s. It turned out he was in his mid-40s.

He carried a bag of 35 used needles. He and Barahona disappeared into a side office. The exchange service is anonymous, but she asked for his first name, birth date and mother's first name for recordkeeping purposes.

She gave him a cup of water, an antibiotic ointment swab, bandages, a bottle top for cooking drugs and some condoms. He dumped his old needles into a red bio-hazardous container, and Barahona handed him 35 new needles. He thanked her, stuffed the items into a duffle bag and walked out.

"We could offer so many more services with those funds," Barahona said.

If PreventionWorks! successfully taps tax money, Barahona will not be around to manage it. She recently resigned. Her last day is Aug. 15.

Although accessing government funds is something that she fought for, Barahona said she would rather be out helping prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

"I made a commitment that I would fight for public funding, but I didn't want to manage the funds," she said. "It's a good time for a change in leadership, someone who can deal with the bureaucracy of government money."

Or maybe someone with a magic lasso.