Dangerous used needles found in Felton

Used hypodermic needles discarded by drug users continue to be found in streams, along beaches and public places across Santa Cruz County.
Recent river cleanups in the San Lorenzo Valley and increasing public awareness of the dangers of discarded needles have yielded new caches of the dangerous trash.
In its most recent report, the community group Take Back Santa Cruz said 11 needles were found last month under a bridge at Zayante Creek in Felton.
 In the nearly four years that Take Back Santa Cruz formed its Needles Solutions Team, volunteers have recorded finding 11,745 used hypodermic needles that were improperly disposed throughout Santa Cruz County — averaging 261 found per month.
Since 2008, Santa Cruz County has run one of the most comprehensive and successful safe drug and neede disposal program anywhere in the U.S. All pharmacy in unincorporated areas of the county (outside the four cities) and in most cities, offer free disposal of used needles, either through on-site kiosks or using prepaid mailback containers.
Additional sharps kiosks are located in medical centers, at county health facilities and even at a convenient curbside location next to the county courthouse.
A county ordinance made participating in safe needle disposal mandatory for pharmacies in 2014. A new ordinance passed last year extends the mandate to include takeback of unused medications.
“Needles dangerously dropped in public places are a serious problem that needs continued attention,” said county spokesman Tim Goncharoff in a recent letter to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “But the public should be aware that through the joint efforts of the county and local cities, hundreds of thousands of needles are safely collected and disposed of every year.”
Go to sharpmedsolutions.org for more information and a list of free, convenient takeback sites.
The city of Santa Cruz has invited county human services and/or health Consistent with its goal to reduce the transmission of disease, the County should establish a fund for needle stick victims who do not have insurance to cover their treatment.