By Tiffany Goodwein

Vernon resident poked by needle calling for change

Jan 3, 2020 | 9:00 AM

A Vernon resident poked by a needle while working on the job is calling for more effective discarded needle measures in the city.

The resident, who did not want to be named out of fear of losing employment, said he was taking out the trash at a local grocery store when a needle penetrated out of the bag and pricked his skin.

The resident immediately went to Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

He said what soon followed was “the worst three months” of his life as doctors placed him on an HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) program for 28 days. The program requires the consumption of multiple anti-retroviral drugs every day.

“It was hardcore. It was not fun,” he said. “It really drains your body. They are big pills. It is not fun to take those, not fun at all.”

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Aside from the pills, the emotional toll of possibly contracting a disease like HIV or hepatitis also weighed heavily on the worker’s mind.

“The process of knowing or not knowing that you have AIDS or Hepatitis that was the worst,” he said.

Nearly three months after the incident, the resident received the news he was hoping for and his blood test results came back clean.

The months long ordeal not only changed the resident’s perspective on life, but the current drug crisis hitting the community.

“I just almost have no sympathy for them for not even putting the cap on or twisting the needle. They just chuck it, they don’t even care. There has to be something done; they got to put those people off the streets,” the man said. “I pay my taxes, I work real hard, and I just screwed my life up for three months. I’m not blaming anyone. I’m just saying that we got to look after them more.”

The City of Vernon has been working to tackle the issue of discarded needles. In April 2019, the city launched its Folks on Spokes program, which allows residents to call the sharps hotline at 250-550-7841 to make a report. Clean ups also take place at downtown core “hot spots” between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Still, despite mounds of opposition, the resident believes an overdose prevention site may provide part of the solution.

“An OPS site would put a dent in the discarded needle problem around our city. It won’t cure the problem, but it would draw a good percentage of the users to the OPS site as opposed to leaving their needles literally everywhere,” the resident said.

In April, Interior Health announced plans for an Overdose Prevention site have been put on hold in order to consult further with key stakeholders.

by Tiffany Goodwein

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