The First Cut is the Deepest

Disposal unit for needles

Unfortunately the camera phone makes it hard to view exactly what this is a picture of, but it’s a container for sharps disposal. Now that wouldn’t be so unusual if it were located in a doctor’s office and not, say, the bathroom at a riverboat casino. But let me assure you that it is in fact the latter. What goes on at this casino that they need to have a permanent system for the safe disposal of needles?!

Knowing the stereotypical Midwestern gambler, my first (rational) thought was lancets for diabetes. What is your guess?

8 comments

    • @ Liam,

      As a patient, I say to you “Don’t hospitals take enough of our money without having slot machines and poker tables in the waiting rooms??”

      As a health care industry employee, I think “Brilliant!”

  1. Ok, lemme put this one out there. Now, nobody wants a knife fight to happen, but if it does, shouldn’t we at least be prepared to dispose of the knives in a safe manner afterward?

    @ Meghan

    Going into a hospital is always a gamble anyway, isn’t it?

  2. @ Meghan –

    If they moved that hospital to the UK, the slot machines could be a way for the NHS to recover some of the costs of providing free healthcare.

    @ Conall –

    Knife crime here in the UK is an issue. I bet that young thugs would like the idea of disposing of the knives in a safe way … certainly they would not want to catch some nasty disease after having stabbed someone.

  3. @ Conall,

    Groan. Good one.

    @ Liam,

    I know, right? I think I should get to work on a new policy paper for both of our countries.

  4. My work (not really in a medical field) recently installed these in all the bathrooms…they claim for people with diabetes and insulin issues.

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