User:Motorhobo/sharpskiosk

A Sharps Kiosk is a secure receptacle for collecting medical sharps at a location prior to transportation to a medical waste disposal facility for final disposal. Sharps kiosks are generally drop-style receptacles similar in design and construction to a mailbox with an approved sharps container contained within the housing that serves as collection receptacle for deposited medical waste. Sharps kiosk were created to fill the need for community-based collection of home-generated medical waste to address health and safety issues related to the proliferation of non-institutional sharps, that is, needles and syringes used and discarded either by illicit drug users or by patients who use doctor-prescribed syringes and hypodermic needles in the context of their medical care.

Background
Sharps kiosks were initially developed to provide illicit drug users with a safe, easily-accessible and anonymous place to deposit their used syringes in urban areas such as Seattle and New York City in order to keep public places frequented by drug users free of loose used syringes and to minimize the risk of accidental needlesticks and resulting secondary infection of bloodborne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis to the general population. However, with the marked increase in the prescription use of hypodermic needles for home treatment of a variety of illnesses and conditions, the number of medical devices entering the municipal waste stream over the past two decades has also drastically increased, creating a serious health hazard to workers in solid waste management facilities. In the wake of numerous fatal secondary infections and liability lawsuits nationwide, in 2008 California became the first state to make the disposal of medical sharps in municipal solid waste illegal. Massachussets enacted the nation's most restrictive law prohibiting the disposal of used sharps in the MSW in 2010 and other states are currently considering similar legislation.

Current Usage
Erie County, New York State, USA In 2001, the state of New York implemented the Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP) to expand access to sterile hypodermic needles and syringes. The Public Health Law was amended to allow any adult individual to legally obtain and possess hypodermic needles without a medical prescription. ESAP's objective was to prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis strains B and C. Although the law requires facilities that dispense hypodermic needles to also make provisions for their safe post-use disposal, it did not specify exactly how the disposal would be implemented. The disposal options offered by many providers proved inconvenient for users, resulting in an increase in used syringes entering the municipal waste stream. To address this issue, Erie County implemented a community-based program of sharps kiosks at various locations county-wide, including participating pharmacies, airports, bus stations, clinics and at some municipal housing sites and convenience stores. Funding for this program is provided in part by the New York State AIDS Institute.