How can we alleviate the danger of finding medical sharps in our parks and support our at-risk community members? My classmates and I recently interviewed Dane Zahner of the HIV Alliance to ask these important questions for our Community Change and Leadership class at the University of Oregon.
We wanted to understand how we can support the expansion of needle drop sites and prevent medical waste ending up in our parks and in the Willamette River. We thought that by installing additional drop sites in the parks with unhoused communities, we could mitigate the need for neighborhood clean ups. However, with the ongoing sweeps, the camps are perpetually moving, making a permanent drop box untenable.
Zahner shared that in Vancouver, B.C., they’ve created a successful model of having wall mounted sharps containers in all business and restaurant bathrooms. Unlike outdoor drop boxes that cost $1,500, wall mount boxes are $15 to install. The affordability and ease of a safe collection site increases overall participation.
Harm reduction policies have a long history of supporting at-risk communities in effective ways by reducing exposure to Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS and creating safe places for community members with addiction to seek assistance and recover without stigma. Harm reduction humanizes our at risk community members and is a benefit to our larger city by offering accessible drop sites.
Let’s solve the medical waste stream problem with evidence based models. In doing so, we will continue to show how effective Eugene can be.
Carly Boyer, Avery Johnson and Stella Augustine
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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