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HomeNewsHealth unit brings back buy-back program for used needles

Health unit brings back buy-back program for used needles

The success of a used needles exchange program last fall has prompted the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit to repeat the initiative.

The health unit is once again offering to give people a $5 gift card for every 100 used sharps they bring back to the agency.

Last year when the health unit first held the promotion, it gave out 245 gift cards in November and a further 155 during December.

That means 40,000 used sharps were returned to the health unit.

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Marnie Brunette, a program manager at the health unit who oversees needle exchanges, says the buy-back is to promote the safe disposal of sharps and to also increase awareness about the health unit’s harm reduction services.

Brunette says the buy-back program is targeted to individuals who use drugs.

However, she adds non-drug users are also eligible for the $5 gift card.

Brunette says one objective is to get the user off drugs and the buy-back program helps accomplish that.

“It really helps us develop relationships with these people so we can help them as best we can,” she said.

“We hope that over time that relationship can lead to an improved health outcome for those people.”

When the health unit introduced the buy-back program last November, it was mostly geared toward North Bay.

But this time, the health unit is expanding the program to include West Nipissing and has worked out an arrangement with the Alliance Centre in Sturgeon Falls to join it as a partner to collect used sharps.

Brunette says it’s important to remove used needles from the streets.

She says there’s a small risk that Hepatitis C or HIV can be transmitted by coming into contact with a used sharp.

Brunette adds the risk is small because fortunately the viruses responsible for those illnesses can’t live long outside an environment.

But Brunette says a bigger risk for the public is getting a puncture or cut from a used needle.

Brunette says the buy-back program has been a big success.

Although people can drop off any number of sharps at the health unit throughout the year, she says figures show that the number of used needles returned to the health unit during the buy-back period was five times greater than before the program first appeared last November.

Brunette says about 500 gift cards have been bought for this fall’s initiative.

Asked whether the program may return again next fall, Brunette wasn’t sure.

She says the health unit may develop other ways to engage the public to return used needles regularly throughout the year with possible incentives.

The main reason for that is the health unit doesn’t want people stockpiling their used sharps throughout the year so that they can cash in on the $5 gift card come the fall.

The gift card program is modelled on similar used sharps buy-back programs based on the West Coast.

Locally, the health unit collects all the used needles and uses a government-approved company that disposes of the sharps.

Go to www.myhealthunit.ca/sharps for more information on the health unit’s buy-back program.

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