COUNTY OFFERS FREE NEEDLE DISPOSAL

SOUTH COUNTY -- A $3.80 needle may cost as much as $3,000 to a person
accidentally stuck with it.

"We periodically still find them in recycle bins, in garbage or loose along
side the road," said Homer Rice, Sarasota County Environmental Health
director, of used needles. "We've had a waste worker stuck."

In an attempt to cut down on the number of accidental needle sticks, the
Sarasota County Health Department offers a free needle disposal program to
county residents.

The program is designed for residents being treated for insulin-dependent
diabetes, hepatitis, arthritis, cancer and other health conditions that
require daily use of needles to inject prescription medication. The free
program is also open to families with pets on injection medication.

Residents can pick up red needle disposal containers at various locations
throughout the county. All needles, syringes and lancet are placed in the
container. When the container is full, participants secures the top and
return it to the location where they are given another box.

Sarasota County has been running the free program for about six years, Rice
said. In that time, the estimated number of needles collected have
increased from 250,000 to 2 million. Rice said there are still those who
don't participate in the program, however.

"I like to think some of it is ignorance," he said. "We have a large influx
of people. For a lot of people, they didn't have the program up home, so
they are not aware of it down here. Some of the people are homebound and
unfortunately we don't have the manpower to pick the sharps up. So we ask
them to put them in an opaque container and separate the needle from the
barrel so it is less likely to poke through."

Each year, some 8 million syringe users will administer 2 to 3 billion
injections outside traditional health care facilities, according to the
Coalition for Safe Community Needle Disposal. Two-thirds of those at home
injections are self-administered by people with diabetes and patients
receiving home health treatment for allergies, infertility, multiple
sclerosis and veterinary care.

The greatest percentage of at home injectors are diabetes patients -- 17
million Americans live with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes
Association. The Center for Disease Control projects the number of
Americans with diagnosed diabetes to increase 165 percent in the next 50 years.

Another third of at home injections are attributed to drug abusers using
heroin and cocaine.

The estimated cost of needle stick injuries is approximately $1.6 billion
per year, or $1,500 to $3,000 for each stick, the CSCND said. The testing
includes HIV and Hepatitis C and B exposure. In addition, patients may be
required to receive counseling. And that doesn't include the six months of
torment waiting for test results.

Despite the growing problems associated with improper disposal of sharps
outside health care facilities, there are no consistent regulations or
guidelines for their safe disposal, CSCND said. Current Environmental
Protection Agency guidelines suggests disposing all sharps in a household
plastic container or coffee can, securing the top and writing "Do Not
Recycle" on the outside and putting it in with household trash.

But that doesn't prevent accidental sticks.

"Milk container caps come off easily," said Dianne Shipley, Sarasota County
Health Educator. "And that is a potential threat some could get stuck.
That's always an issue of concern as more and more people are living with
diabetes."

For more information about the program, call 861-6133.

NEEDLE DROP OFFS

North Port

North Port Fire Department

5700 North Port Blvd.

423-4365

9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week

Englewood

Heartland Home Health

628 Indiana Ave.

473-1519

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., M-F

Venice

Sarasota County Health Department

Office of Environmental Health Services

South County Administration Center

4000 S. Tamiami Trail, room 121

861-3310

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F

Osprey

Express Testing

Sarasota Memorial Blackburn Center

929 S. Tamiami Trail

917-4900

7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., M-F