99% recovery, in my opinion, is a figure which has to be grossly inflated -- or a misdirect of numbers

The issue of discarded needles has been a prominent topic of discussion around the city of Kamloops as of late, but it's not just a problem happening here.  For months now, all aspects of media have been running stories about the issue, and problems associated with it.  Here's just a very small sampling:

... (she) is speaking out after her six-year-old nephew stepped on a used needle in Kelowna’s popular City park and it went through the bottom of his shoe.

... a little girl needed medical attention after getting pricked by a discarded needle during a school outing in Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park on Friday

... police are investigating after a three-year-old child was pricked by an uncapped syringe on Monday afternoon ... child's parents said they noticed the uncapped syringe after the child began to cry.

... an abundance of needles springing up around Vernon, BC has the public outraged with safety concerns

... a month ago we found 200 used needles in one garbage can, and the paraphernalia that goes with it.  I don’t want to scare the wits out of everyone, I just want them to be aware, and be careful

So how are cities across Canada dealing with the issue of discarded needs?

If you Google it, you'll find that volunteers have taken to cleaning up parks, laneways and underneath bridges in their communities.  Volunteers have also been going out with rubber gloves and garbage bags to pick up the drug paraphernalia left behind as well.  Additionally, people have been using social media, and  posting photos, of needles found in their neighbourhoods, in an effort to call attention to what they say is a growing problem.

Kamloops City Councillor Ray Dhaliwal
with Ms. King

"It is bewildering why a small minority would be
against this needle/sharp buy back program. It
seems like Interior Health are worried about
Caroline King receiving and having needles

needles turned in, and not worried about the
general public getting poked as they try to enjoy
a walk through their cities. If this is one of the
reasons why Interior Health are against

Caroline’s buy back trial program ... and
a program that IS Working ... then this makes
no sense!" ~~ Ray Dhaliwal

Here in Kamloops, Caroline King and Dennis Giesbrecht have initiated a Needle Buy-Back Program, and as news of it has spread, other communities are asking about it.

Why?  Well according to Caroline King a recent example, from Victoria, is reason enough.

"Victoria police just issued a public safety warning after a third person was poked in their downtown core," she stated.  "Kamloops has a list that is growing and we can include many other communities in that list. What will it take for government officials to take responsibility, and make changes to their antiquated harm reduction policy? We need bold leaders willing to stand up when others sit down --- but most of all, we need leaders willing to try everything and anything to keep you safe!" 

Both Caroline, and project partner Dennis Giesbrecht are passionate about making a difference.  Stated Dennis, "We despise the current system but if we ever expect to change it we need positive conversation with positive solutions. Let’s make that the end goal." 

Caroline indicated she has had some Kamloops residents say to her that basically, these people are two legged rats bringing it on themselves.  But to that, she says, "I feel their frustration, but I promise you that these fragile humans are far from two legged rats. They are children in some cases as young as 14, some are throw away foster care age-outs, and some are, in many cases, severely mentally ill."

Dennis Giesbrecht of the Needle
Buy-Back Program

Other residents are more pragmatic in their comments.  After reading media reports on what the Interior Health Authority (IHA) had to say about the needle buy-back program, Joshua Knaak stated, "There’s some fairly simple math here. Interior Health passed out 257,000 needles. With limited collection, over 6,000 have been collected. How can we say we are retrieving 99%? I’m happy to see Interior Health stepping up to do more to ensure that used needles aren’t laying around. Hopefully, their improved efforts bring us to a place where efforts such as Caroline's are no longer necessary. But, until then ...

And that makes sense.  On Monday July 16th Caroline, and other volunteers, were able to collect another 500 discarded needles in just half an hour!

Although not mentioning them by name, it appears that Dr. Silvina Mema, Medical Health Officer for Interior Health, is not in favour of the needle buy back program that has been initiated by Ms King and Mr. Giesbrecht.  In a statement released by Dr. Mema she stated:

  Examining and counting individual needles is not recommended, as it increases the possibility of needle poke injuries.

  Placing a monetary value on used needles may result in people stealing or breaking into sharps containers that are being placed to increase access to safe needle disposal. Not only does this put people at risk of being poked by a needle, it may actually result in more drug-related litter left behind.

  Concerns that people may request and then return unused needles for the purpose of generating a profit.

When I asked Caroline about who the people were, bringing in the needles, she said, "All of the sellers are street addicts but for one, who is a 60 year old with a lifelong addiction. He has a job, and a family, but uses up to 100 a week.  Imagine being an addict for 43 years but still having a job and a family. It’s mind blowing"

"My opinion of the Interior Health Authority," she continued, "Is that they are about their bottom line. It’s cheaper for them to hand out drug supplies, and ensure people stay addicts, than it is to treat the myriad of illnesses that cause it in the first place." 

King went on to acknowledge she has read about Dr. Silvina Mema's concerns about her program.

"If that's the case, then why have they not reached out to us about those concerns, and discussing possible solutions as a remedy to them?"

Instead, she said, they released a statement saying, "We want to thank organizations and individuals seeking out ways to make improvements, and invite them to discuss their ideas with their Community Action Teams (CAT), Harm Reduction Agencies, local governments or directly with Interior Health."

The passion for making a difference can be felt strongly in both Giesbrecht, and King.

In speaking with me, Caroline stated this belief, "I've seen that IHA reports they collect 99% of the used needles, and yet we have collected well over 6,000 ourselves.  Is the 99% figure an outright lie?  I don't know, but if it is true, why is no one privy to information proving that number." 

Karl Hardt, Communications Consultant for Interior Health East, responded to me after initially sending me an Information Release from IHA's Dr. Silvina Mema, regarding that 99% return rate.  He stated:

"The number (257,000) is the number of needles ordered from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), in 2017 ,for both the Kamloops and Merritt local health areas. Needles are returned in variety of ways including through Interior Health locations, harm reduction agencies, pharmacies and at times in the garbage. The 99% is an estimate based on our largest three communities who track the number of needles improperly discarded in a community. These numbers are used to create a projection across the health authority including smaller communities."

When I again questioned that number, given that pharmacy returns would include sharps used for prescription medications such as blood thinners, diabetes, and cancers, Hardt further clarified his comments saying:

"The estimate is not based on the number of needles properly disposed of (including pharmacies which could be collecting medical supply needles as well).

 The number is an estimate of the number of improperly disposed of needles measured against the total number of needles ordered for harm reduction through BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). Pharmacies would not factor into the first number in this calculation."

Speaking for myself, both as the writer of this piece and as a resident of Kamloops where this project has been initiated, I have too seriously question the 99% recovery rate reported by IHA. Both Medical Health Officer Dr. Mema, and Communications Consultant Karl Hardt, can say I am wrong, however 99% recovery, in my opinion, is a figure which has to be grossly inflated -- or a misdirect of numbers.

And why would I have that opinion?  It seems obvious to me ... there is no initiative, from those providing the sharps to drug users and addicts, to have them returned.

Think about it; why do people bring back beverage containers for recycling?  

Because we get our deposit back when they are returned to a bottle depot.  That said, I doubt very much that bottle depots here in Kamloops, or anywhere else, would even try to suggest that 99% of these containers come back to them.  Even Return-It only claims an 80% return on beverage containers -- and that's with those of us personally returning them to recycle depots ... or from the vast myriad of individuals (including street people) combing parks, ditches, the sides of highways, and garbage containers for these bottles and tins.

Still let's give IHA, and other Health Authorities across the province, thanks for at least trying.  As Medical Health Officer Dr. Mema stated, "Collaboration with municipalities, community agencies, and concerned citizens is essential to minimize any impact of improperly discarded needles in the community. Interior Health appreciates innovation and encourages communities to develop programs tailored to address their needs."

With that in mind then, I hope that rather than criticizing initiatives such as those being taken in Kamloops and elsewhere in BC, health authorities instead come up with ways to support, and improve, on these initiatives.

IHA has stated the risk of an infection from a discarded needle may be small, but why should even be a concern for Mothers, Fathers and other care-givers, when they take their young children to our parks and playgrounds.

IHA has a Sharps Toolkit that includes a number of informational resources that is for the public, including instructions on how to dispose of a needle, which Karl Hardt passed on to me, asking me to share it with you, the reader.  You can CLICK HERE to download the .pdf

It is rather lengthy, so if you want the nuts and bolts version, here's another suggestion.  Vancouver Island Health Authority says, anyone who uses a needle to inject should dispose of it safely, however, sometimes discarded needles or other "sharps" (i.e. syringes, blades or glass) are found in public areas. Information on how to safely dispose of a needle should you come across one, can be found by CLICKING HERE   

It seems the days of running carefree, and barefoot in parks and on the beach, are sadly no longer to be.  Stay safe ... and be safe.

In Kamloops, I'm Alan Forseth.  If you have any thoughts you'd like to share on this, please add them below in the Comments section.