MAN CONTINUES FIGHT FOR NEEDLE DISPOSAL CONTAINERS

The discovery of three hypodermic needles in the last two weeks, has
once again refueled Randy Asling's fever to see the Town take action
to ensure no one gets injured.

"I might get a full time job looking for needles around here," Asling
joked, displaying the latest discovery -- a syringe, complete with
needle, in a flower bed on the corner of Main Street and 360th Avenue.

"The needles last week were in the park, down on the ground, by the
middle garbage can." He said that of those syringes, only one
actually had the needle still attached.

Asling knows it only takes a poke from one hypodermic needle to turn
a life upside down. Asling was removing garbage from Lion's Park in
Oct., 1994, when he was stabbed by a dirty needle that he believes
led to his contraction of Hepatitis C.

Back then, in his work as a garbage collector, he was about to change
the garbage in the park's container. There were several plastic
grocery-store bags on top, blocking the lock keeping the container closed.

He grabbed a handful of the bags, and the needle went into his thumb.
It was the late '90s when Asling started to notice his health
decline, and he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, in 2001.

Now, he wants to ensure no one else finds himself in a similar
predicament. He has been trying for more than four years to convince
local authorities to install needle disposal containers in the public
parks. So far, they haven't seem ed to be in agreement that it is necessary.

Public health nurse Megan Klammer has been dealing with Asling over
the last few years. She said, they are still waiting on surveys to
come back from the public, identifying top health concerns prior to
taking any sort of action.

Asling said she recently told him it might be possible to set up a
needle exchange program, to allow users to return dirty needles to a
location in town and receive a clean one.

Klammer said the survey -- which was originally in the works and
targeted for release in early 2005 -- is still in the works.

"I have a couple of nursing students helping to consolidate the
community responses and input around the whole issue of needles," she
said, adding she won't release the report until they finalize the
details. She thinks it will be ready about mid-November -- but there
might be a chance that a needle-exchange program will be formalized.

"There is currently a program in Oliver, where you are able to
dispose of your needles in a few agencies in town," she said, adding
it might hopefully be expanded into a full exchange.

Asling said he is pleased to hear the news.

"It's a start. A needle exchange would be great. At least that is an
acknowledgement of the issue," Asling said, adding it's all about
keeping others safe.

"These are your kids, my kids, future kids."