Pubdate: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 Source: Charlotte Sun Herald (FL) Contact: 2002 Sun Coast Media Group Inc. Website: http://www.sun-herald.com/newsch.htm Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1708 COUNTY OFFERS FREE NEEDLE DISPOSAL SOUTH COUNTY -- A $3.80 needle may cost as much as $3,000 to a person accidentally stuck with it. "We periodically still find them in recycle bins, in garbage or loose along side the road," said Homer Rice, Sarasota County Environmental Health director, of used needles. "We've had a waste worker stuck." In an attempt to cut down on the number of accidental needle sticks, the Sarasota County Health Department offers a free needle disposal program to county residents. The program is designed for residents being treated for insulin-dependent diabetes, hepatitis, arthritis, cancer and other health conditions that require daily use of needles to inject prescription medication. The free program is also open to families with pets on injection medication. Residents can pick up red needle disposal containers at various locations throughout the county. All needles, syringes and lancet are placed in the container. When the container is full, participants secures the top and return it to the location where they are given another box. Sarasota County has been running the free program for about six years, Rice said. In that time, the estimated number of needles collected have increased from 250,000 to 2 million. Rice said there are still those who don't participate in the program, however. "I like to think some of it is ignorance," he said. "We have a large influx of people. For a lot of people, they didn't have the program up home, so they are not aware of it down here. Some of the people are homebound and unfortunately we don't have the manpower to pick the sharps up. So we ask them to put them in an opaque container and separate the needle from the barrel so it is less likely to poke through." Each year, some 8 million syringe users will administer 2 to 3 billion injections outside traditional health care facilities, according to the Coalition for Safe Community Needle Disposal. Two-thirds of those at home injections are self-administered by people with diabetes and patients receiving home health treatment for allergies, infertility, multiple sclerosis and veterinary care. The greatest percentage of at home injectors are diabetes patients -- 17 million Americans live with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. The Center for Disease Control projects the number of Americans with diagnosed diabetes to increase 165 percent in the next 50 years. Another third of at home injections are attributed to drug abusers using heroin and cocaine. The estimated cost of needle stick injuries is approximately $1.6 billion per year, or $1,500 to $3,000 for each stick, the CSCND said. The testing includes HIV and Hepatitis C and B exposure. In addition, patients may be required to receive counseling. And that doesn't include the six months of torment waiting for test results. Despite the growing problems associated with improper disposal of sharps outside health care facilities, there are no consistent regulations or guidelines for their safe disposal, CSCND said. Current Environmental Protection Agency guidelines suggests disposing all sharps in a household plastic container or coffee can, securing the top and writing "Do Not Recycle" on the outside and putting it in with household trash. But that doesn't prevent accidental sticks. "Milk container caps come off easily," said Dianne Shipley, Sarasota County Health Educator. "And that is a potential threat some could get stuck. That's always an issue of concern as more and more people are living with diabetes." For more information about the program, call 861-6133. NEEDLE DROP OFFS North Port North Port Fire Department 5700 North Port Blvd. 423-4365 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week Englewood Heartland Home Health 628 Indiana Ave. 473-1519 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., M-F Venice Sarasota County Health Department Office of Environmental Health Services South County Administration Center 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, room 121 861-3310 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F Osprey Express Testing Sarasota Memorial Blackburn Center 929 S. Tamiami Trail 917-4900 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., M-F - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom