NEW TARGET: NEEDLES

Surrey's mayor wants to shut down the Whalley needle exchange
"immediately," in favour of dispersed services through provincial health units.

Critics of that plan say addicts will turn to sharing needles, contracting
hepatitis C and HIV, driving up provincial health care costs. The proposed
closure comes as part of Mayor Doug McCallum's "action team" campaign to
clean up crime-ridden areas of Whalley.

It involves a coordinated effort by several city departments, including
bylaw, fire, RCMP, engineering and parks.

The area around the needle exchange, at 135 A St. near 106 Ave., is at the
heart of the problem, according to McCallum. On Monday, he called the board
of directors for South Fraser Community Services, which operates the
exchange, and asked them to cease operations.

"I talked to their chairman yesterday and asked them to shut it down
immediately," McCallum said Tuesday. "When we talk to police and business,
they consider it one of the main problems in bringing an undesirable
element into that area." He says the service, in Whalley since 1992, can be
dispersed throughout the city, using provincial health units in Whalley,
South Surrey, Cloverdale and Surrey Memorial Hospital.

McCallum has the backing of at least one local MLA.

Elayne Brenzinger, the Liberal MLA for Surrey-Whalley, said she supports
the closure of the exchange in favour of a facility at Surrey Memorial
Hospital.

However, former minister of health and Surrey Coun. Penny Priddy said the
concept of using hospitals and health units to distribute needles is
ill-conceived.

"Are all health units close to transit and easy to get to?" Priddy asked,
adding addicts will go where it's most convenient to shoot up.

"They go into your backyard, my backyard and the backyard of the businesses
up there, and that's where they'll leave their needles," Priddy said.

She understands there are crime problems in Whalley, and supports increased
enforcement, but maintains closing the exchange is only going to increase
the spread of disease.

"Between 1998 and 2008 they expect to be a 126 per cent increase in
hepatitis C," Priddy said. "Eighty-eight per cent of that are (intravenous)
drug users."

Hepatitis C patients cost the province about $100 million to treat about
40,000 people with the disease, according to provincial health officer, Dr.
Perry Kendall.

Of the about the 3,000 new patients per year, one in five comes from south
of the Fraser, he said Tuesday.

"It will cost way more than it costs to police it or anything else," said
Priddy. "The health costs are enormous -- I think (the closure) almost
creates a health epidemic -- people are going to stop using clean needles."

Linda Syssoloff, South Fraser Community Services program director, agrees
with that assessment.

Without easy access to clean hypodermics, Syssoloff warned the incidence of
HIV and hepatitis C would rise as junkies share needles.

"It would be an infectious disease epidemic," Syssoloff said.

Currently, the exchange collects more needles than it distributes,
Syssoloff said, pointing to statistics for December that show the service
handled out 15,875 needles while collecting 16,223 for disposal.

That shows addicts are using the exchange to dispose of needles instead of
dumping them on the street, Syssoloff believes, noting regular sweeps of
the area by staff show less than a dozen needles are discovered near the
exchange in any given month.

Syssoloff described the addicts who use the Whalley service as people
"making the first step toward treatment" by trying to protect their health.

"Most people who come to the exchange, they drive down, they get what they
need, and they leave."

An addict who uses the service told The Leader she would be more likely to
share needles if clean hypodermics are not easily available.

"More than likely, I would (use a dirty injector)," said Shelly, a
41-year-old homeless woman who has hepatitis C. If clean needles are not
easily available, "people are going to buy them or steal them," Shelly
predicted.

Jim Bennett, who operates the needle exchange, said Monday he spoke with
the minister in charge of the program, Surrey-Panorama MLA Dr. Gulzar
Cheema, who said it's provincial policy, "and it's staying where it is."

Cheema told The Leader Tuesday the Whalley needle exchange is a model
service and should remain at its current location. "The political campaigns
are over, let's concentrate on the facts," said Cheema.

"This issue is not a part of crime prevention ... I think we need to keep
on focusing on the issue which is important for these people who are
suffering from a substance abuse disorder..."

McCallum said that if the exchange doesn't comply with his request, he'll
have it shut down. He wouldn't say how that could be done.