News (Media Awareness Project) - CN BC: Needle Count To Assess School Dangers |
| Title: | CN BC: Needle Count To Assess School Dangers |
| Published On: | 2004-06-16 |
| Source: | Vancouver Courier (CN BC) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-18 07:42:35 |
NEEDLE COUNT TO ASSESS SCHOOL DANGERS
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has asked the school board to help
it track the number of discarded needles in the city.
In March of 2004, 343 needles were recovered from a one-block radius
surrounding Strathcona elementary school.
During the same month, 80 were picked up around Lord Roberts. Although far
fewer were collected near Britannia, MacDonald, Grandview and Queen
Alexandra schools, the troublesome problem of drug users dumping dirty
needles exists in those neighbourhoods as well.
Fear that blood-borne pathogens will spread to adults or children who come
into contact with the needles prompted the health authority to launch
needle exchange and recovery programs several years ago.
But the number of needles found on school grounds has never been recorded
formally or shared with the health authority.
The authority uses the information from its sweeps to identify where the
needles are, when discard patterns change, determine areas requiring
cleanup and where it needs to install and remove needles from safe disposal
boxes.
By including school board information, it's believed a more effective
response can be coordinated.
The health authority does not share the data in detail with outside groups.
They do, however, meet with members of the Vancouver Police Department and
others regularly to discuss hot spots and propose strategies to deal with them.
Most of the schools that are affected by dirty discarded needles are in the
Downtown and Downtown Eastside.
Staff at those schools already check the grounds each morning to ensure any
dangerous objects are removed. Grounds staff also do sweeps of the
properties and keep count of information at each site.
Allan Wong, COPE trustee and chair of the planning and facilities
committee, believes one agency collecting all the information is a good
move. Although he doesn't believe needle numbers found on school grounds
are nearly as high as those found in the one-block radius, he still insists
it's critical information to track.
"Children walk to and from school, so that's a concern to us as well," he
said.
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has asked the school board to help
it track the number of discarded needles in the city.
In March of 2004, 343 needles were recovered from a one-block radius
surrounding Strathcona elementary school.
During the same month, 80 were picked up around Lord Roberts. Although far
fewer were collected near Britannia, MacDonald, Grandview and Queen
Alexandra schools, the troublesome problem of drug users dumping dirty
needles exists in those neighbourhoods as well.
Fear that blood-borne pathogens will spread to adults or children who come
into contact with the needles prompted the health authority to launch
needle exchange and recovery programs several years ago.
But the number of needles found on school grounds has never been recorded
formally or shared with the health authority.
The authority uses the information from its sweeps to identify where the
needles are, when discard patterns change, determine areas requiring
cleanup and where it needs to install and remove needles from safe disposal
boxes.
By including school board information, it's believed a more effective
response can be coordinated.
The health authority does not share the data in detail with outside groups.
They do, however, meet with members of the Vancouver Police Department and
others regularly to discuss hot spots and propose strategies to deal with them.
Most of the schools that are affected by dirty discarded needles are in the
Downtown and Downtown Eastside.
Staff at those schools already check the grounds each morning to ensure any
dangerous objects are removed. Grounds staff also do sweeps of the
properties and keep count of information at each site.
Allan Wong, COPE trustee and chair of the planning and facilities
committee, believes one agency collecting all the information is a good
move. Although he doesn't believe needle numbers found on school grounds
are nearly as high as those found in the one-block radius, he still insists
it's critical information to track.
"Children walk to and from school, so that's a concern to us as well," he
said.
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