Pubdate: Thu, 10 Sep 2015 Source: Maple Ridge Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2015 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc Contact: http://www.mrtimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1372 Author: Cole Wagner FRASER HEALTH PUSHED TO PICK UP NEEDLES City Hall Was a Tense Arena for a Discussion on Harm Reduction Tuesday Just how dangerous is a discarded, used needle? At Tuesday's council meeting, that question was at the forefront of a presentation by officials from Fraser Health, who maintained that needles found around town actually posed no more risk to the average resident than a rusty nail, because diseases like HIV don't survive in conditions outside the body for a long period of time. The point was met with plenty of derision from the crowd of more than 30 residents attending the meeting, who joined council to pressure Fraser Health to step up efforts to stem the tide of needles ending up in parks, and schools around the City. "There is obviously - and you're aware - a problem with residents finding needles around our City, and around our playgrounds," Mayor Nicole Read told Dr. Marcus Lem, a medical health officer with the Fraser Health Authority. Dr. Lem was joined by Erin Gibson, a Fraser Health harm reduction coordinator, to speak to Maple Ridge council Tuesday night on the subject of harm reduction in the City. The presentation covered off the main principles behind harm reduction policies, which aim to mitigate the risks of drug addiction by distributing things like condoms, needles, and naxolone or Narcan (overdose) kits to the street entrenched population. While Dr. Lem pushed the benefits of the harm reduction policies, emphasizing that the rates of communicable diseases like HIV, or Hepatitis C have dropped considerably through harm reduction, Read pushed the officials to come up with a more concrete plan to monitor and collect the needles distributed through Fraser Health programs. Currently, Fraser Health has a contract with two service providers in Maple Ridge which run needle distribution programs: The Purpose Society, and Alouette Addictions. Several councillors echoed the mayor's calls for Fraser Health to monitor the number of needles returned versus the number distributed. "It certainly something doable," said Dr. Lem, but added that more sharps disposal containers around town would help the health authority to establish a more concrete figure. Currently, the number of needles discarded in the City is hard to track, as there are numerous sources for the sharps (pharmacies, hospitals, needle distribution trucks, etc), as well as a lack of a centralized needle return location, explained Gibson. But the officials did commit to funding and installing more sharps containers around Maple Ridge. Coun. Gordy Robson disagreed with the effectiveness of harm reduction policies, telling the health officials "I do believe you have drank the Kool-Aid." "Nowhere during your presentation did you make any mention of needle exchanges," said Robson. "You have a contract in this community with the Purpose Society - they don't do exchanges, they give out needles by the handful," he added. While Robson pushed for a one to one needle exchange program, Dr. Lem pointed out that restricting the number of needles available to drug users actually tends to increase the risk of harm or exploitation. "A drug user who needs a needle will get a needle, whether its dirty, used, or clean," said Dr. Lem. Restricting access to the needles could even have the unintended effect of creating a market for the needles, said Dr. Lem, which leads to needles being exchanged for sex or drugs. "I think you're well aware of the concerns - we've been finding needles and we have to do something," said Read. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom