BANGOR, Maine — Throughout recent years there has been a rise in the number of needles used in Bangor, but that also means the number of discarded needles seen around the city has increased, too.
Elsa Theobald is a resident in the area and said she and her friends began noticing needles on their strolls a couple of years back.
"Walking on the trail down by the river and on the waterfront, there used to be a lot of needles and a lot of problems with that," Theobald said.
But since the city and nonprofit Health Equity Alliance, or HEAL, partnered to provide a needle pickup service throughout Bangor, things have been different.
"It makes a lot of sense to have both parties support the community and make sure we are addressing in a timely manner so that there is more comfort and safety and ability for our whole city to feel more nurtured." Interim Director of Operations for HEAL, James Nealey, said.
The program was made possible through $29,000 of municipal funding given to HEAL by the city, in hopes of providing people with an easy way to report needles. It's a simple concept, if someone sees a discarded needle around the city, they reach out to HEAL and someone will be sent to properly dispose of it.
"It's done a great job of connecting community members, businesses, and the city all together so we can really help form a more collaborative effort to help ensure safety and make sure we're supporting people in our community." Nealey said.
HEAL is also keeping track of each location a needle is found to identify hot spots which will help the organization and the city figure out where to monitor and place additional sharps receptacles to the nine already put in place.
Other organizations around Bangor offer syringe exchange programs as well, like the Needlepoint Sanctuary, and agree services like these are invaluable to keeping the community safe.
"Now that people know that they have somewhere to bring it to it's made a huge difference in terms of the number of syringes you might find on the sidewalk," Needlepoint Sanctuary Public Health Community Organizer Luke Sekera-Flanders said.
Something Theobald and her friends have noticed on their recent walks.
"We just went out today and it wasn't an issue at all. We didn't have to worry about it and it seemed a lot cleaner and I hope more people will come to Bangor and use the spaces we have." Theobald said.
If you're ever out and about in Bangor and spot a discarded needle, you can call, or text HEAL at 207-888-1998 or email syringepickup@mainehealthequity.com with details on where the needle is located, along with a photo.