NYS Safe Sharps Collection Locator

Deployed: https://nysharps.onrender.com

This Flask application offers a simple interface to help find nearby safe sharps collection sites in New York State, using data from the NYS Department of Health API.

All hospitals and nursing homes in New York State are mandated by law to accept home-generated sharps as a free, community service through their sharps collection programs.

Features

• Search by Location: Users can enter an address, zip code or name of a location to find the nearest safe sharps collection sites.
• Map Visualization: The application displays a map with markers representing the locations of the collection sites.
• Site Information: Clicking on a marker reveals a popup with details about the collection site, such as address and phone number.

Installation and Setup

1. Create a virtual environment:

   macOS and Linux:

   # Create a virtual environment
   python3 -m venv venv
   # Activate the virtual environment
   source venv/bin/activate
   

   Windows:

   # Create a virtual environment
   python3 -m venv venv
   # Activate the virtual environment
   venv\Scripts\activate
   

2. Create a .env file:

   in the root of your project and add the following environment variables:

     LOCATIONIQ_API_KEY='replace_with_api_key'
     HEALTH_API_TOKEN='replace_with_access_token'
     SECRET_KEY='replace_with_random_string'

3. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the app:

        flask run
        # or
        python3 app.py

Future Improvements

• Adding search filters
• Deeper data cleaning
• Locations of non health facility venues that offer syringe collection drop boxes (or "kiosks")
• Adding click to directions and click to call
• Allow users to create accounts and save preferred collection sites
• Better error handling
• Mobile Optimization