Province ready to take over needle exchange

Starting Wednesday the P.E.I. government takes over the provincial needle exchange from AIDS PEI.

Chief health officer Dr. Heather Morrison released the details of the new program Tuesday. There will be two locations: one at the Ellis Brothers Mall in Charlottetown and the other at the Harbourside Medical Centre in Summerside. There was only one Charlottetown location under AIDS PEI.

Morrison said the program will be run by public health nurses. She acknowledged some clients may been worried about the service being provided by government, but she said everything will be completely confidential.

"There will be no information gathered because it is a confidential service. We probably will be keeping track of how many people will be coming in, and that's good for record keeping, but that's the only information," said Morrison.

"We're going to work really hard at trying to get their trust. That's why there will only be a couple of public health nurses that will be working on particular days, so that that relationship builds."

Morrison said the needle exchange program will be administered in private offices. Supplies have been ordered and everything is set to begin Wednesday. The exchange program will be offered every afternoon in the Charlottetown location and two afternoons a week in Summerside.

Working groups are being set up to improve the program and to assess the location choices, said Morrison, and a move for the Charlottetown one is already being considered.