HEALTH REGION MAY EXPAND NEEDLE EXCHANGE

The Saskatoon Health Region is considering expanding Saskatoon's
needle exchange program, its medical health officer says.

Dr. Cory Neudorf also told the health region board in an October
report that his office may start providing drug users with other
injection supplies, such as filters, sterile water and spoons.

"It's not always just the needle that harbours the HIV or the
hepatitis C," Neudorf said in an interview. "Sometimes it gets stuck
in the other equipment. They're either using dirty water or water
that's shared from a pail, or they're re-using a filter over and over
again, or these spoons, and that's where some outbreaks have ended up
stemming from."

The changes are two possibilities public health officials are
considering in an evaluation of services and treatment the health
region offers to drug users. Researchers hope to release a report in
early spring detailing the gaps drug addicts are falling through.

The exercise was prompted by a Vancouver lobby group that campaigned
three years ago for other Canadian cities to open up safe injection
sites like the one operating in Vancouver's downtown east side.

"I didn't want to just say yes, we support, or no, we don't
(support), safe injection sites," Neudorf said. "It's more an issue
of, everybody together look at the issue overall and give a more
reasoned response back as to what is needed, where are the gaps right
now. . . . A safe injection site may or may not enter into that ever
in Saskatoon."

Currently, a roving health region van exchanges used needles for
clean ones in the evening. Although the Sexual Health Clinic on
Idylwyld Drive also has a needle exchange, the hours are limited.

Neudorf hopes to improve users' access to clean needles. "I think we
will be looking in this report to having a few more fixed sites that
have expanded hours," he said.

More clean equipment for drug users at more city locations would be
"absolutely spectacular," said Erin Scriven, executive co-ordinator
of AIDS Saskatoon.

"Timing is of the essence when you're looking at the risk factors for
transmitting illnesses like HIV and hep C," Scriven said.

"If people have easy access to equipment that would prevent that --
whether it's a condom or a needle or a spoon -- and if they have it
accessible to them in a convenient location where they know they're
going to be treated well and not feel judged about what they're
doing, then we know that people are more likely to use those things."

Handing out syringes alone sends the message to users that needles
are the only way blood-borne diseases can spread, and that's not
true, she said.

Such strategies are bound to be a "hot topic," she said, because some
residents don't like the idea of organizations handing out needles
and other equipment in their community.

"People are going to use drugs regardless," she said. "There are some
pretty damaging consequences of drug use (and) many people are aware
of those, but are still unable to stop using."

Preventing the spread of infections benefits everyone because it
reduces the cost burden on the health-care system, Scriven said.

Neudorf agrees.

"Even the people who are taking the hard line of, 'Well, these people
are reaping what they're sowing,' that doesn't hold water," he said.
"This becomes everybody's concern."

Needle exchanges also help with the safety issue of needles left on
the street. Although there are drop bins around the city which
collect needles from illegal drug and medical users, Saskatoon Fire
and Protective Services picked up 6,500 needles between January and
June of this year.

Although prescription drug abuse is more popular in Saskatchewan,
people are using cocaine and heroin here, Neudorf said. Use of highly
addictive crystal meth is also growing in Saskatoon, and users can
also inject meth, as well as snorting or smoking it.

"People tend to think, probably because we're in Saskatchewan, that
(drug use and disease spread) is less of an issue," Neudorf said.
"The reality is, it just always takes a little longer to get here."

This year, Saskatoon has seen more cases of HIV than in the past, he
said, and hepatitis C is also on the rise.

"What we've seen in country after country, is as those things get out
of control in the at-risk population, like the intravenous drug
users, it spreads to the rest of the community as well," he said.