Needles that were picked up during walkthrough of downtown. (Jaryn Vecchio/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Needle Pickup

Healthcare professionals seeing fewer needles on P.A. streets

May 10, 2023 | 4:00 PM

Efforts to decrease the number of needles on Prince Albert’s streets appear to be working.

That’s according to Paulette Martin, the regional HIV coordinator for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), who told paNOW they’ve seen a noticeable drop.

A group of healthcare professionals, firefighters, and volunteers were out on Wednesday walking across downtown looking for any needles.

“We were in areas that we’ve known from previous years… there were a lot less,” said Martin.

She believes a big reason for the decrease has been the community’s Harm Reduction Van. It travels around the community for a couple of hours during the evening Monday to Friday all year round, collecting any needles people may have or cleaning up areas people have called about.

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The van has only been around for a short time, however, those using the needles have already come to trust it and the people driving it around.

“They know who it is, and we’ve established relationships,” Martin said. “As with any new service, you might start off slow, but it’s definitely been picking up.”

Martin also believes those using the needles are starting to be more careful with where they dispose of them. She explained many have expressed to her that they don’t want to hurt other people, so they’ve started putting them in containers and bringing them to Access Place.

“We’re thanking them and appreciate the efforts they’re making to ensure the community is clean,” added Martin.

Access Place is also where people can get disposable needles. While some might see this as enabling the issue, Martin noted they can’t stop people from using drugs and added that they can help them do it as safely as possible for them and others.

“We tell people when they get a needle that it’s one needle. One use, one time.”

Moving forward, you may see people in the downtown area walking around with pails and tongs picking up any needles they can find. If you find one, there are some safety tips on how to pick them up safely, and people you can call who’ll come and pick it up themselves.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow