Pubdate: Wed, 24 Oct 2012 Source: Intelligencer, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2012, Osprey Media Group Inc. Contact: http://www.intelligencer.ca/feedback1/LetterToEditor.aspx Website: http://www.intelligencer.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2332 Author: W. Brice McVicar DON'T TOUCH THAT NEEDLE An outdoor drug den littered with used needles, spoons, matches and various drug paraphernalia has been cleaned up by the local health unit. David Ryding, a public health inspector with the communicable disease control department, visited the site Tuesday afternoon after inquiries about it from The Intelligencer. Ryding, who removed the potentially dangerous material which included some needles that were not capped, said in two years with the department he had never seen a site like the one just west of the Riverside Trail in downtown Belleville. "I can't say I've ever seen it like this," he said. "We don't get a lot of calls to come out in the field like this. It's just unfortunate because this is not what our (needle exchange) program encourages." Using thick gloves, metal prongs and wearing steel-soled shoes, Ryding removed needles, tourniquets, syringes and packages from the site. The difficulty, he noted, was ensuring everything was collected considering the heavy blanket of leaves that covered the ground. Emilie Aubin, who regularly walks her dog in the area and alerted The Intelligencer to the drug site, said she discovered it a few weeks ago. "It's pretty much the first thing you see down there," she said, noting her dog enjoys wading in the Moira River and she would wander to the river's edge to accommodate her dog's desire. Aubin said she has contacted police and the city about the site and it has been cleaned up in the past but the number of needles in the area has grown. "My concern is that children might go down there and get pricked or my dog might step on one," Aubin said. "It's dangerous." Stephanie McFaul agreed. The needle exchange program co-ordinator for the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit said used needles pose a serious threat to the public. Under no circumstance, she said, should a member of the public pick up a used needle. "We would like people to report it to us as soon as they find it," she said. "Our message to the public is if they should ever come across any needles in a public domain they should call the health unit and we'll ask for the specific location and then we'll send someone out to find them and dispose of them properly. "We don't encourage people to pick them up themselves because there are risks." Those risks include getting pricked by one of the needles which could result in contracting a blood borne illness. McFaul said a used needle prick could mean contracting HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Staff from the health unit have been trained to handle the needles appropriately and dispose of them in a safe manner. The health unit operates a needle exchange program with the intent being used needles are not left out in a public area such as the site near the trail. The program, McFaul said, serves two purposes as it should prevent the discovery of needles in the public but also helps reduce drug users from reusing or sharing needles. "We have 10 pharmacy-based needle exchange sites throughout the counties and we also have three needle exchange sites at mental health support networks and we have one at the Loyalist clinical services. Some sites are very heavily used and others are not," she said. Users are encouraged to pick up their needles and drop off their "used equipment" at those sites. McFaul said the program is free, confidential and "respectful" of users. "We try to do some information sharing as well," McFaul said. For more information on the needle exchange program phone 613-966-5512 ext. 620. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt