Pubdate: Fri, 28 Apr 2006
Source: Prince Albert Daily Herald (CN SN)
Copyright: 2006 Prince Albert Daily Herald
Contact:  http://www.paherald.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1918
Author: Carter Haydu
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

NEEDLE EXCHANGE DEFENDED

A Councillor's Concerns About Discarded Syringes Have Been Eased.

Ward 2 Councillor Greg Dionne shared his needle  concerns with the 
Prince Albert Parkland Health Region  board when it met Wednesday in the city.

Dionne told board members he supports the needle  exchange program, 
but feels something must be done  about all the discarded syringes 
throughout the city.

Dionne said one resident found more than 20 syringes on  his property.

"I've got all kinds of calls from residents," he said.

The councillor agrees preventing HIV and hepatitis C in  the 
intravenous drug population is important, but not  at the expense of 
everyone else.

"Our first job is to protect the innocent," he said.

Dr. Leo Lanoie, medical official for Prince Albert  Parkland Health 
District, said the needle exchange  program is not the cause of 
Prince Albert's discarded  syringe problem.

He said many needles come into the city with the drugs.  About 98 per 
cent of the needles the health district  hands out get returned. The 
health region knows this  because it only hands out one specific 
brand of  syringe.

Lanoie said if the health district were to discontinue  the exchange 
program, the number of discarded needles  would vastly increase.

"Instead of dealing with 9,000 to 10,000, we'll be  dealing with 
hundreds of thousands of discarded needles  in the community," Lanoie said.

Regarding the safety of innocent residents, Lanoie said  there has 
never been a recorded incident of anyone  contracting HIV or 
hepatitis C from getting  accidentally pricked by a littered needle.

Dionne said he was satisfied with the meeting, happy  that the city 
and health district have begun  communicating on the issue.

He said he would tell residents that many of the  needles probably 
come from outside the health district.

Dionne also suggested many residents might think  discarded needles 
are more dangerous than they actually  are. He partially attributed 
this to a perception that  syringes are best handled by the fire department.

He said residents must still be concerned about their  health and 
safety regarding discarded syringes, but the  health concerns might 
not be as dire as many people  think.
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