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Despite some recent rumblings from city politicians calling for the return to a buy-back used sharps model, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit does not see such a program as the sole solution.
According to Medical Officer of Health Dr. Carol Zimbalatti, "The Health Unit has not had any recent discussions internally or with community partners about re-instating a sharps buy-back program. While buy-back programs can be seen as useful at first glance, the evaluation highlighted the program was complex to administer as intended and required a large time and financial commitment to operate, even for a short period of time."
During a recent Community Safety Well-Being ad hoc committee meeting, North Bay City Councillor Tanya Vrebosch again pressed for answers on the feasibility and usage of the community sharps bin supported financially by the City of North Bay with up to $10,000 in funding annually since 2021. The public sharps disposal is located outside the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing at 361 McIntyre St. E. The funding is used to empty the bin and safely dispose of its contents.
Brent Kalinowski, who is the facilitator of the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan said he preferred to perform more audits but acknowledged his investigation to that point indicated the box was "not being used very much."
"We gave it a shot," Vrebosch said. "If it's not being used, I'd rather reallocate the $10,000 to something under the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. I am a fan of the needle buy-back program."
Meanwhile, medical professionals have a different take than the elected officials. "Offering community sharps bins is an important component of a comprehensive harm reduction approach and ongoing monitoring of their use allows us to determine best locations and how the service can be improved," Dr. Zimbalatti added.
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Kalinowski had been tasked in March to investigate the bin's usage further and he discovered 30 and 50 sharps per month were deposited in the community bin over an audit of several months. "It does beg the question, is that box in the right spot place?" he asked. "Can it be in another spot that would be more accessible or useful to those requiring its service?"
"I'm glad to see the monitoring," said Vrebosch. "It is very costly and I still think there are better ways to use $10,000 to pick up sharps in the community."
See also: Councillor pushes for return to needle buy-back program
Besides Vrebosch, several members of the Community Safety Well-Being ad hoc committee meeting also favoured looking at a return in some form to the buy-back program, including Coun. Lana Mitchell and Ian Kilgour, the director of community services.
BACKGROUND
The Health Unit discontinued the needle buy-back program during the previous term of council. The cancelled program had offered one $5 gift card for groceries for every 100 used sharps, needles, or syringes.
In 2020, the Health Unit had community sharps bins ready for installation within the district and wanted to do so on municipally-owned land. A compromise was reached and the bin found a home on McIntyre Street East. The Health Unit also requested financial support for regular disposal of the contents of the sharps bin. The previously budgeted $10,000 for the buy-back program went toward the costs associated with maintaining the bin.
See also: Community sharps bin gets lukewarm reviews yet unanimous support
"When used sharps are discarded improperly, such as in recycling, garbage, or even in a public place, it is often the result of not having a place to properly dispose of them," reads a January 2021 news release from the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing announcing the bin's placement. "Providing a place for people to safely discard sharps helps keep the community safer for everyone."
And: City: Dirty needle disposal is property owner's responsibility
According to the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit website, community sharps bins are also available at the Health Unit's Oak Street West offices and there is one accessible to the public stationed outside the AIDS Committee of North Bay and Area office at 147 McIntyre St. W.
