City council has hailed Ottawa Public Health’s initiative to clear the city’s streets of discarded needles a “complete success.”
The city’s community and protective services committee delivered its praise to Ottawa Public Health following the Dec. 3 tabling of a report on retrieval rates for discarded needles.
The report stated that the City of Ottawa collected more used needles in the first three quarters of 2009 than during all of 2008. It was also noted that a successful use of needle drop boxes resulted in a 141-per-cent needle retrieval rate based on the number of city-distributed needles.
Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans says she’s very impressed with the findings.
“We think it’s great for the community, and we’re very happy with the progress of the retrieval of the needles,” says Deans.
Vera Etches, an Ottawa Public Health official who was involved in the compilation of the report, says she had no doubt council would find the retrieval rates impressive.
“When you look at what we’ve achieved, it’s a complete success,” says Etches. “All we can do is to continue to have a quick response to retrieving needles. And if we can keep this up, our retrieval numbers will continue grow.”
The report noted that more than 515,000 used needles have been retrieved this year, compared with the 330,000 clean needles distributed under city programs.
Sue McLaren, executive director of the health-and-safety-promoting organization Safe Communities Ottawa, commended Ottawa Public Health for its effort to make the streets of Ottawa a virtually needle-free environment.
“I am quite impressed with the report,” says McLaren. “With the strategies that have been invoked and the number of needles retrieved, kudos to Ottawa Public Health. They are really on the right path, shown by their dedication to a safer Ottawa.”
Etches says that Ottawa Public Health has two primary goals for the next six months: keep its retrieval rate at the same high percentage, and to conduct a review of the program.
“Throughout the winter, retrieval rates will drop because needles are going to be used indoors,” says Etches. “This winter we want to maintain what we’ve accomplished so far. We will see retrieval numbers grow in the spring.”
For its full 2009 review, Ottawa Public Health plans to report its findings to council by the end of the first quarter of 2010.
Deans says council is looking forward to hearing the results of the findings, and hopes they show “continuing successes.”
However, McLaren said improvements may yet be recommended to the program in the future to improve on even the current high rates of needle retrieval. “Like any program, even a successful program like this one, you need to evaluate it and make improvements. This is how Ottawa will become ever safer.”