A Lethbridge mother is anxiously waiting for the test results of her son’s blood work after she says he was pricked by a syringe outside of a preschool on Tuesday.
Amie Ceron regularly picks up her 12-year-old son Elijah – who attends Wilson Middle School – at 3 p.m. from the nearby Park Meadows Christian Playschool where her daughter attends.
But she told Global News her trip on Tuesday turned into a parent’s worst nightmare.
She said Elijah was poked by a needle which was on the ground near the end of the parking lot of the playschool.
Her husband Julio said they didn’t believe it when their son told them what happened.
“He was coming home from school with his friend,” he said. “As boys do, they’re picking up rocks and so forth. As he went to go reach down for a rock, he punctured himself on a syringe that was sitting on the ground.”
“It’s like landmines lying around all over town. You’ve got to be careful where you step.”
Ceron said she had some trouble getting help from Alberta Health Services (AHS), and after a lengthy phone call was told to take him to the emergency room.
AHS told Global News it couldn’t provide details about this specific event but that it has some tips for what people should do if they are stuck by a used needle.
– thoroughly rinse the area that was poked
– wash it with soap and water as soon as possible
– seek medical treatment or call 811 for medical advice
AHS says needles that have been left out longer pose less of a risk and that generally, the threat of contracting HIV is gone within minutes. Hepatitis B can take up to several days.
The family is expecting to hear Elijah’s test results in the coming days.
The preschool is attached to the Park Meadows Baptist Church and the lead pastor said they’ve noticed an increase in needles being left on the property.
“I’ve checked with our maintenance people and they do checks around the building twice a week. We have found since the beginning of the year, a little more than a half dozen needles on the property,” Lorne Willms said.
WATCH: Lethbridge parents demand changes after discarded needles found at parks
The City of Lethbridge and the safe consumption site run by ARCHES have recently received backlash from residents with needles being left in public areas like parks and playgrounds.
An online petition has been set up asking for needles to be kept on the site’s property.
As of Thursday afternoon, the petition had more than 1,300 signatures.
ARCHES released a statement to Global News and said no one wanted this to happen.
“The safety of all community members is paramount and this is not an ‘us or them’ conversation. Reducing the transmission of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and/or Hepatitis C among intravenous drug users benefits the greater population. Communicable disease do not stay contained within one sub-population, they affect everyone,” the statement said.
The city has set up a website for anyone with questions about discarded needles.
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