DRUG ADDICTS TRADE IN USED SYRINGES

Local News -

A downtown pharmacy has handed out, on average, 11 needles per day to
local drug addicts since the introduction of a syringe exchange
program six weeks ago.

Malcolm Jones, a pharmacist with the Shopper's Drug Mart on Front
Street, told the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Board of Health,
Friday, that almost 500 used syringes have been traded for new,
sterile needles since the Needle Exchange Program was introduced into
the downtown core close to six weeks ago.

And, more needles are expected to be doled out to area drug addicts as
10 more exchange sites throughout Hastings and Prince Edward counties
become functional over the next couple of weeks, explained Marsha
Olinski, Sexual Health Co-ordinator for the Health Unit.

The program, which falls under the umbrella of the health unit's Harm
Reduction Task Force, is geared to help cut down the number of
blood-borne diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C by
allowing injection drug users to anonymously turn in used needles for
sterile syringes.

The task force, which was formed locally several years ago, began
looking at implementing a needle exchange program after a new
requirement was handed down to local health units by the Ministry of
Health in 1998 that stated the "board of health shall ensure that
injection drug users can have access to sterile injection equipment by
the provision of needle and syringe exchange programs as a harm
reduction strategy to prevent the transmission of... blood borne
infections and associated diseases where drug use is recognized as a
problem in the community."

Olinski said the task force began studying the issue in December 1998,
which included consultation with a number of community-based groups
and an extensive telephone survey, to establish a needs assessment for
Hastings and Prince Edward counties.

Methods considered to provide the service ranged from using fixed
sites, such as pharmacies, to paying drug addicts through a "peer
outreach program" in which they would seek out fellow users to
exchange needles.

Officials decided to utilize 12 pharmacies throughout both counties as
fixed sites.

Public health nurse Marie Clarke took over the presentation to say the
needle exchange program is not only necessary to help prevent the
spread of disease -- 70 per cent of hepatitis C transmissions in
Canada is due to injection drug use, according to Health Canada -- but
also to introduce alternatives to the drug addicts.

"With non-judgmental contact with the individual... presents an
opportunity to the drug user to learn about services offered in the
community," to help their addition, she said.

There is also a "code of confidentiality" associated with pharmacy
workers because they deal with sensitive information daily, such as
health records -- which is also reassuring to drug users, Clarke added.

"This is a very big issue... people want to know that their identity
is safe. Also, the hours of operation are usually well known among the
community."

However, Clarke noted that health unit officials will be tracking
general information about the drug users -- such as age and sex -- in
order to compile an accurate picture of approximately how many are in
the community.

Due to lack of current data regarding the demographic of injection
drug users, Clarke said "we had to predict the number of injection
drug users to be anywhere between 350 and 400," for the region.

Also, the Quinte region is location "on the (Highway) 401 corridor
between Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto," which makes it a hub for
illicit drug activity.

When judging how many supplies to give to each pharmacy, Clarke said
officials "based a lot of our projections on (a needle exchange
program in) Peterborough."

Start-up costs for the program have already been covered, Clarke
added, because "this is not a new program... just a new activity."

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lynn Noseworthy added that the health
unit will be "monitoring costs very closely" as the program begins to
move into full-time operation across both counties.

"Our hope," concluded Clarke, "is that it will bring people back in
touch with resources to bring them closer to abstinence."

For more information about the Needle Exchange Program, call 966-5513,
ext. 263, or call collect at 0-613-966-5500 from Monday to Friday,
8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and ask for ext. 263.

Here is a list of the pharmacies participating in the program within the
catchment of the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit:

* Bancroft Pharmacy, 65 North Hastings St., Bancroft

* Deller's IDA, 249 Victoria St. North, Tweed

* Nickle's Pharmacy, 26 Forsyth St., Marmora

* Johnson's Pharmacy, 36 Durham St. South, Madoc

* Balu's Pharmacy 9-D Tuftsville Road, Stirling

* Loyalist College, Student Health Services (for college community
only), Wallbridge-Loyalist Road, Belleville

* Shopper's Drug Mart, 240 Front St., Belleville

* Shopper's Drug Mart, 390 North Front St., Belleville

* Pharma Plus, Trenton Town Centre, 260 Dundas St. East, Trenton

* Picton Clinic Pharmacy, 389 Main St., Picton

* Wellington Pharmacy, 274 Main St., Wellington