As the opioid crisis deepens, so does the number of warnings about uncapped discarded needles in local parks.
The mother of a Sooke teenager was first angry, then scared, when her 15-year-old son called to say he was on the way to the Royal Jubilee Hospital after being poked by a needle in Rutledge Park.
“I was like ‘What’s happening?’ There are so many people getting hurt by these needles,” said Jayna Forgie, who wrote about what happened in posting to Facebook.
“It’s just scary. My concern is that he would contract something that could be serious. My other concern is that other people are in the park, too. I thought people should be aware. Our kids grew up in that area and played there all the time. I want people to know, if you go out, this happens.”
Her son had been sitting on the grass with a friend, she said. When he went to lie down, the needle poked him in the back.
The needle wasn’t placed to intentionally hurt anyone, it was just discarded, said Forgie.
“It’s a pretty decent neighbourhood so I was pretty surprised. The needle was probably missed in their cleaning routine.”
Her son was examined at the hospital and had a baseline blood test. He will have to have another blood test in three weeks to see if there are any changes.
‘Thank God, it wasn’t a deep puncture,” she said.
Saanich police Const. Markus Anastasiades said police were not notified of the call at the time.
"We are very concerned to hear that this happened and hope that the young man is not facing any serious injuries or health concerns as a result," he said.
"Our officers do conduct Park Patrols on a daily basis to ensure compliance with overnight campers. Until this incident, we have not had any recent files involving needles found in parks."
On Tuesday, Victoria police warned people about an uncapped needle which had been taped to a bench in Centennial Square in a way that would have harmed anyone who sat down.
The uncapped needed was found by a City of Victoria staff member around 10:50 a.m.
On Saturday night, Victoria police issued a warning after a man was pricked by an uncapped needle in Beacon Hill Park. The man told police he was walking on the chip trail in Beacon Hill Park, near Douglas Street and Avalon Road, when he stepped off the path and felt a pain in his foot.
Police don’t know if anyone was injured by the uncapped needle taped to the bench in Centennial Square. They are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency line at 250 995-7654 and press 1 for the report desk. To report what you know anonymously, call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
City staff try to safely collect needles on city property and routinely empty drop boxes for sharps when they collect garbage, said spokesman Bill Eisenhauer. A number of groups, including the Downtown Victoria Business Association Clean Team, Aids Vancouver Island Mobile Harm Reduction Unit, SOLID and others pick up used sharps and have programs to educate and encourage the safe disposal of needles. The city also works with Island Health, AVI and other community organizations on harm reduction initiatives and encourages the safe disposal of used syringes, said Eisenhauer.
City staff, who are trained to sweep for hazards in their work areas, are provided with personal protective equipment to safely dispose of any discarded needles they may come across.There are 29 safe disposal boxes in Victoria which are checked multiple times a week and emptied as needed. Boxes in high-use areas are emptied more frequently.
“The boxes are strategically located in various places across the city to support the safe disposal of sharps by the public. We have recently added additional boxes in Centennial Square, Central Park and Beacon Hill Park,” said Eisenhauer.
The DVBA clean team looks after private property in the downtown business area.
“As the opioid crisis continues, I understand data from multiple agencies indicates that there has been an increase in the number of unsafely discarded needles over the last few years,” he said.
ldickson@timescolonist.com
