Jordyn: Removing dangerous drugs from homes
Jordyn Schara was shocked "to see the insane amount of medication people have in their homes that have been lying around waiting to be abused or stolen."
Unused drugs create two huge problems: They are abused by teens trying to get high, who then can become sick or even die. Or they are flushed down the drain and creep into drinking water. "It means men are taking birth control [pills] and children are taking heart medications," she says. "It's definitely not a good thing."
But when the 14-year-old in Reedsburg, Wis., asked state officials what she could do to help, they told her she was too young.
That didn't stop Jordyn. She founded a Wisconsin branch of Prescription Pill Drug Disposal (p2d2program.org). She organized a drug drop-off day for her town, and recruited pharmacists and police officers to supervise the event.
The drug return day was "extremely successful," she says. "People lined up around the block to get in. That was just a really great feeling to know that people were willing to participate."
Hauling away and incinerating the drugs costs about $2 per pound.
"I had to get a lot of donations and grants to support the cost of this program," says Jordyn, who is now a 16-year-old high school sophomore. "I was the youngest person [at 14] to apply for and receive a state grant in Wisconsin" to help fund her project, she says.
The Save a Star Foundation (saveastar.org) in Highland Park, Ill., donated a prescription drug drop-off box, the size of a street-corner mailbox, that's been installed at the police station. Her project has now become an ongoing part of the community.
"Sometimes it's hard as a teenager. You think that people don't listen to you or don't pay attention to you," Jordyn says. "But, honestly, if you do a service project, people will start listening."
Her friends have been big supporters. One even wore a "Phil the Pill Bottle" costume to help publicize the drug drop-off event.
"It's tough at first," Jordyn concedes. But her family has helped, too. "My parents were very supportive and my brother was very supportive."
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Program to dispose of unused drugs
Hopedale Medical Complex recently announced a prescription drug disposal program it plans to start Jan. 3 as a way to fight prescription drug abuse by teens, and to keep the drugs from polluting local water supplies when they are flushed down the toilet.
According to Wendy Mobley, the head of the program, people can bring in their unneeded or expired prescription medications to the HMC pharmacy and the pharmacy will dispose of the drugs properly and safely for free.
“We’re taking them to Indianapolis to an energy plant that incinerates the drugs and turns it into energy to light peoples’ homes,” Mobley said. “We’re doing something environmentally friendly with it and getting it off the streets.”
Mobley said she got the idea for the program — which is called P2D2 — from pharmacies in other areas that started similar programs after the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency started passing laws against flushing pills because of the effect it has on the environment.
According to a fact sheet published by the IEPA, “trace amounts of pharmaceutical-related chemicals” have been found in drinking water and it is believed to have been caused by the flushing of pills, while medications thrown in the garbage can leach into the soil. The IEPA recommends incinerating the pills, according to certain standards.
The other major aspect of the HMC program is to help keep teens and young adults from getting at these drugs and experimenting with them.
“I think the biggest importance is we’re not only trying to be environmentally friendly we’re also trying to help save kids from getting into bad situations,” Mobley said. “A growing problem is these ‘Skittles parties’ where kids go to medicine cabinets and raid the drugs in there and put them into a big bowl ... and then they take them to see what happens.”
She said a nearby high school had a recent problem with their students dong this, and she believes it could be going on in Hopedale as well.
The program will not include narcotics — meaning the pharmacy cannot legally accept any Oxycontin, Vicadin, Darvocet, Ativan and Xanax. However, Mobley said HMC is working with local law enforcement to put a program in place for narcotics.
As of yet, she said it is best for someone with unused narcotics to take them to the local police station for proper disposal. She said the Delavan police station even has a drop box for narcotics.
According to Wendy Mobley, the head of the program, people can bring in their unneeded or expired prescription medications to the HMC pharmacy and the pharmacy will dispose of the drugs properly and safely for free.
“We’re taking them to Indianapolis to an energy plant that incinerates the drugs and turns it into energy to light peoples’ homes,” Mobley said. “We’re doing something environmentally friendly with it and getting it off the streets.”
Mobley said she got the idea for the program — which is called P2D2 — from pharmacies in other areas that started similar programs after the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency started passing laws against flushing pills because of the effect it has on the environment.
According to a fact sheet published by the IEPA, “trace amounts of pharmaceutical-related chemicals” have been found in drinking water and it is believed to have been caused by the flushing of pills, while medications thrown in the garbage can leach into the soil. The IEPA recommends incinerating the pills, according to certain standards.
The other major aspect of the HMC program is to help keep teens and young adults from getting at these drugs and experimenting with them.
“I think the biggest importance is we’re not only trying to be environmentally friendly we’re also trying to help save kids from getting into bad situations,” Mobley said. “A growing problem is these ‘Skittles parties’ where kids go to medicine cabinets and raid the drugs in there and put them into a big bowl ... and then they take them to see what happens.”
She said a nearby high school had a recent problem with their students dong this, and she believes it could be going on in Hopedale as well.
The program will not include narcotics — meaning the pharmacy cannot legally accept any Oxycontin, Vicadin, Darvocet, Ativan and Xanax. However, Mobley said HMC is working with local law enforcement to put a program in place for narcotics.
As of yet, she said it is best for someone with unused narcotics to take them to the local police station for proper disposal. She said the Delavan police station even has a drop box for narcotics.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Covanta Energy Extends Program to Safely and Securely Destroy Prescription Drugs Collected at Take-Back Events
Morristown, NJ – December 17, 2010—Based on evidence of pollution in waterways and drinking water, as well as an increase in pharmaceutical drug abuse, Covanta Energy Corporation developed the Prescription for Safety Program (Rx4Safety) to safely dispose of medications collected at community sponsored drug take-back programs, free of charge. The program was set to expire in 2010; however, based on the program’s success and encouragement by its partners and clients, Covanta has elected to extend the program through the end of 2011.
Since launching the program earlier this year, Covanta Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facilities have destroyed more than 30,000 pounds of unwanted medications from collections held by municipalities, community groups, and law enforcement agencies around the United States.
Take-back events, like the recent national Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) campaign and efforts by the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) provide a safe, confidential and proper way to dispose of unwanted medications, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, veterinary medications and nutritional supplements. Utilizing Covanta’s Rx4Safety program enables groups holding take-back events to ensure environmentally proper disposal. Covanta Energy’s EfW facilities provide safe, environmentally sound destruction that protects water resources and keeps unauthorized users safe from abuse.
When flushed down the drain, or disposed of in landfills, medications find their way into waterways and contaminate surface waters, having an adverse effect on our drinking water and the environment. A recent study conducted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection shows that unwanted prescription drugs being tossed into landfills pose a threat to surface and groundwater supplies around the state. Test results of leachate at three Maine landfills showed concentrations of a wide range of pharmaceuticals. These drugs cannot be removed from water supplies at typical waste water treatment plants and the contaminated water can then have negative effects on aquatic organisms, fish, and other wildlife.
“Covanta was motivated to roll out the Rx4Safety program after we became aware of the impact pharmaceutical drugs were having on our water supplies and the increasing problem of abuse. We are thrilled to work with organizations that are leading the way on this issue such as The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) and the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program (P2D2) and are happy to provide final, safe, and secure disposal of the collected drugs,” said John G. Waffenschmidt, Covanta Energy Vice President, Environmental Science and Community Affairs. “Our Energy-from-Waste facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art combustion controls and air pollution control equipment to ensure the destruction of these drugs in an environmentally sound manner, one that protects the water we depend upon day in and day out and ensures that unwanted drugs are not available for abuse.”
The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) has taken a national leadership position in the need for increased product stewardship. In the case of pharmaceuticals, PSI has been leading the dialogue on best practices, including proper destruction. They have been instrumental in education efforts to raise awareness about the issue and collaborated with Covanta on the development of the free disposal program. Thanks to PSI’s efforts and those of countless other groups, a new federal law, signed on October 12 by President Barack Obama, will reduce costs and create more opportunities for collecting unused medicines from homes and long-term care facilities. The Safe and Secure Drug Disposal Act will give communities more options for providing secure take-back programs to prevent drug abuse, reduce the chances of accidental poisonings, and keep pharmaceutical drugs out of the environment.
“It’s extremely important that medications are disposed of properly to curtail abuse and the contamination of our environment,” said Scott Cassel, Executive Director of the Product Stewardship Institute. “Covanta’s offer to dispose of collected pharmaceuticals free of charge reduces costs for municipalities holding take-back programs. These collaborations are important steps in lowering the environmental and health risks associated with unwanted pharmaceuticals. Thermal destruction at Energy-from-Waste facilities, hazardous waste incinerators, or medical waste incinerators, provides for the ultimate destruction of these drugs.”
“The tireless effort of people like Paul Ritter of P2D2 has raised awareness and prompted communities to adopt proper disposal methods. Paul’s commitment to getting the word out about the right way to handle unwanted drugs is remarkable. Whenever I speak with him, I’m inspired to do all I can in helping to get his message out,” continued Waffenschmidt.
“It is an honor for the P2D2 Program to be able to work alongside so many great communities and organizations, such as Covanta Energy, to solve one of our nation’s greatest tragedies,” said Paul Ritter, founder of P2D2. “The misuse and abuse of drugs in America is at an all time high. Water, our most precious resource, needs to be protected from possible contamination resulting from improper pharmaceutical disposal. If it were not for dedicated leaders and Covanta, there would not be a viable disposal option for many communities. P2D2 is committed to help communities around the globe develop sustainable solutions and establish disposal programs of their own.”
In addition to properly managing the destruction of these unwanted drugs and protecting our clean water supply, collected drugs are used to create electricity. Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facilities reduce greenhouse gases and produce clean, renewable energy from municipal solid waste.
Municipalities interested in participating in Covanta’s program must obtain appropriate regulatory approvals in order to ensure that such wastes are not classified as hazardous waste from a federal, state, or local perspective. Each program would be subject to a due diligence review by Covanta Energy. For more information, please email Rx4Safety@covantaenergy.com.
For more information on PSI visit, http://www.productstewardship.us. For P2D2 visit, www.p2d2program.org.
About Covanta
Covanta Energy is an internationally recognized owner and operator of large-scale Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects and a recipient of the Energy Innovator Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Covanta’s 44 Energy-from-Waste facilities provide communities with an environmentally sound solution to their solid waste disposal needs by using that municipal solid waste to generate clean, renewable energy. Annually, Covanta’s modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely convert approximately 20 million tons of waste into 9 million megawatt hours of clean, renewable electricity and create more than 9 billion pounds of steam sold to a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.covantaenergy.com.
Since launching the program earlier this year, Covanta Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facilities have destroyed more than 30,000 pounds of unwanted medications from collections held by municipalities, community groups, and law enforcement agencies around the United States.
Take-back events, like the recent national Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) campaign and efforts by the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) provide a safe, confidential and proper way to dispose of unwanted medications, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, veterinary medications and nutritional supplements. Utilizing Covanta’s Rx4Safety program enables groups holding take-back events to ensure environmentally proper disposal. Covanta Energy’s EfW facilities provide safe, environmentally sound destruction that protects water resources and keeps unauthorized users safe from abuse.
When flushed down the drain, or disposed of in landfills, medications find their way into waterways and contaminate surface waters, having an adverse effect on our drinking water and the environment. A recent study conducted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection shows that unwanted prescription drugs being tossed into landfills pose a threat to surface and groundwater supplies around the state. Test results of leachate at three Maine landfills showed concentrations of a wide range of pharmaceuticals. These drugs cannot be removed from water supplies at typical waste water treatment plants and the contaminated water can then have negative effects on aquatic organisms, fish, and other wildlife.
“Covanta was motivated to roll out the Rx4Safety program after we became aware of the impact pharmaceutical drugs were having on our water supplies and the increasing problem of abuse. We are thrilled to work with organizations that are leading the way on this issue such as The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) and the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program (P2D2) and are happy to provide final, safe, and secure disposal of the collected drugs,” said John G. Waffenschmidt, Covanta Energy Vice President, Environmental Science and Community Affairs. “Our Energy-from-Waste facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art combustion controls and air pollution control equipment to ensure the destruction of these drugs in an environmentally sound manner, one that protects the water we depend upon day in and day out and ensures that unwanted drugs are not available for abuse.”
The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) has taken a national leadership position in the need for increased product stewardship. In the case of pharmaceuticals, PSI has been leading the dialogue on best practices, including proper destruction. They have been instrumental in education efforts to raise awareness about the issue and collaborated with Covanta on the development of the free disposal program. Thanks to PSI’s efforts and those of countless other groups, a new federal law, signed on October 12 by President Barack Obama, will reduce costs and create more opportunities for collecting unused medicines from homes and long-term care facilities. The Safe and Secure Drug Disposal Act will give communities more options for providing secure take-back programs to prevent drug abuse, reduce the chances of accidental poisonings, and keep pharmaceutical drugs out of the environment.
“It’s extremely important that medications are disposed of properly to curtail abuse and the contamination of our environment,” said Scott Cassel, Executive Director of the Product Stewardship Institute. “Covanta’s offer to dispose of collected pharmaceuticals free of charge reduces costs for municipalities holding take-back programs. These collaborations are important steps in lowering the environmental and health risks associated with unwanted pharmaceuticals. Thermal destruction at Energy-from-Waste facilities, hazardous waste incinerators, or medical waste incinerators, provides for the ultimate destruction of these drugs.”
“The tireless effort of people like Paul Ritter of P2D2 has raised awareness and prompted communities to adopt proper disposal methods. Paul’s commitment to getting the word out about the right way to handle unwanted drugs is remarkable. Whenever I speak with him, I’m inspired to do all I can in helping to get his message out,” continued Waffenschmidt.
“It is an honor for the P2D2 Program to be able to work alongside so many great communities and organizations, such as Covanta Energy, to solve one of our nation’s greatest tragedies,” said Paul Ritter, founder of P2D2. “The misuse and abuse of drugs in America is at an all time high. Water, our most precious resource, needs to be protected from possible contamination resulting from improper pharmaceutical disposal. If it were not for dedicated leaders and Covanta, there would not be a viable disposal option for many communities. P2D2 is committed to help communities around the globe develop sustainable solutions and establish disposal programs of their own.”
In addition to properly managing the destruction of these unwanted drugs and protecting our clean water supply, collected drugs are used to create electricity. Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facilities reduce greenhouse gases and produce clean, renewable energy from municipal solid waste.
Municipalities interested in participating in Covanta’s program must obtain appropriate regulatory approvals in order to ensure that such wastes are not classified as hazardous waste from a federal, state, or local perspective. Each program would be subject to a due diligence review by Covanta Energy. For more information, please email Rx4Safety@covantaenergy.com.
For more information on PSI visit, http://www.productstewardship.us. For P2D2 visit, www.p2d2program.org.
About Covanta
Covanta Energy is an internationally recognized owner and operator of large-scale Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects and a recipient of the Energy Innovator Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Covanta’s 44 Energy-from-Waste facilities provide communities with an environmentally sound solution to their solid waste disposal needs by using that municipal solid waste to generate clean, renewable energy. Annually, Covanta’s modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely convert approximately 20 million tons of waste into 9 million megawatt hours of clean, renewable electricity and create more than 9 billion pounds of steam sold to a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.covantaenergy.com.
HMC Tackles Prescription Drug Disposal Issue
Hopedale Medical Complex has announced that it will begin a prescription pill and drug disposal (P2D2) program beginning January 3. The public may bring their unused or expired prescription and over the counter (OTC) medications to the HMC Pharmacy located at 107 Tremont Street in Hopedale. A Pharmacist will arrange for safe disposal of the drugs. The purpose of the program is two fold: first, it addresses the growing problem of prescription/OTC drug abuse by teens and young adults; second, it will reduce the disposal of dangerous drugs into our local water supply.
“We have seen some startling activity with prescription drug abuse in our area,” notes Wendy Mobley, a doctor of Pharmacy and head of the P2D2 program. “Kids are sharing drugs from their parents’ or grandparents’ cabinets. This practice is not only illegal, but it is extremely dangerous. By disposing of prescription medication properly, you can help to eliminate [...]
Original post by Debbie Adlof
“We have seen some startling activity with prescription drug abuse in our area,” notes Wendy Mobley, a doctor of Pharmacy and head of the P2D2 program. “Kids are sharing drugs from their parents’ or grandparents’ cabinets. This practice is not only illegal, but it is extremely dangerous. By disposing of prescription medication properly, you can help to eliminate [...]
Original post by Debbie Adlof
Hopedale Medical Complex Starts P2D2 Program
Story Updated: Dec 21, 2010 at 12:46 PM CST
Beginning the new year, Hopedale Medical Complex will begin a prescription pill and drug disposal program.
Starting January 3, the public may bring their unused or expired prescription and over the counter medications to the HMC Pharmacy located at 107 Tremont Street in Hopedale. A Pharmacist will arrange for safe disposal of the drugs.
News Now Digital Daily - subscribe to our daily newsletter
The purpose of the program is to address the growing problem of prescription/OTC drug abuse by teens and young adults and to reduce the disposal of dangerous drugs into our local water supply.
“We have seen some startling activity with prescription drug abuse in our area,” says Wendy Mobley, a doctor of Pharmacy. “Kids are sharing drugs from their parents’ or grandparents’ cabinets. By disposing of prescription medication properly, you can help to eliminate the drug problem and keep our water supply safe.”
HMC is working with local law enforcement on the disposal of narcotic drugs and hopes to have a program in place soon.
For more information on the program call Wendy Mobley at 309-449-4370 or visit www.HopedaleMC.com.
Beginning the new year, Hopedale Medical Complex will begin a prescription pill and drug disposal program.
Starting January 3, the public may bring their unused or expired prescription and over the counter medications to the HMC Pharmacy located at 107 Tremont Street in Hopedale. A Pharmacist will arrange for safe disposal of the drugs.
News Now Digital Daily - subscribe to our daily newsletter
The purpose of the program is to address the growing problem of prescription/OTC drug abuse by teens and young adults and to reduce the disposal of dangerous drugs into our local water supply.
“We have seen some startling activity with prescription drug abuse in our area,” says Wendy Mobley, a doctor of Pharmacy. “Kids are sharing drugs from their parents’ or grandparents’ cabinets. By disposing of prescription medication properly, you can help to eliminate the drug problem and keep our water supply safe.”
HMC is working with local law enforcement on the disposal of narcotic drugs and hopes to have a program in place soon.
For more information on the program call Wendy Mobley at 309-449-4370 or visit www.HopedaleMC.com.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wisconsin P2D2 Program Director Jordyn Schara - Discus Scholarship Winner
Jordyn Schara
A sophomore at a high school in Wisconsin, Jordyn embodies the all-around high school student through her outstanding achievements in green, community service, and academics, and the Discus Awards is proud to recognize Jordyn for her success in and outside the classroom.
Jordyn is the winner of the November 2010 Discus Awards Scholarship, a scholarship for high school students presented to one select Discus Award winner every month of the academic year. From among thousands of Discus Award winners and accomplishments in 10 attribute categories, a panel of judges has chosen Jordyn as the recipient of the $2,000 college scholarship.
The Discus Awards, a high school recognition and scholarship program honoring students who excel in and out of the classroom, looks beyond grades, test scores, and win-loss records and recognizes students for their multi-dimensional talents and passions.
Jordyn is dedicated to her initiatives, activities, and school work, and the Discus Awards is pleased to shine the spotlight on her.
Read more....http://www.discusawards.com/2010-scholarship-jordyn-schara
A sophomore at a high school in Wisconsin, Jordyn embodies the all-around high school student through her outstanding achievements in green, community service, and academics, and the Discus Awards is proud to recognize Jordyn for her success in and outside the classroom.
Jordyn is the winner of the November 2010 Discus Awards Scholarship, a scholarship for high school students presented to one select Discus Award winner every month of the academic year. From among thousands of Discus Award winners and accomplishments in 10 attribute categories, a panel of judges has chosen Jordyn as the recipient of the $2,000 college scholarship.
The Discus Awards, a high school recognition and scholarship program honoring students who excel in and out of the classroom, looks beyond grades, test scores, and win-loss records and recognizes students for their multi-dimensional talents and passions.
Jordyn is dedicated to her initiatives, activities, and school work, and the Discus Awards is pleased to shine the spotlight on her.
Read more....http://www.discusawards.com/2010-scholarship-jordyn-schara
Schools know how to make 'green' work
PONTIAC -- Schools have an easy way to solve 'green' problems: Give them to the students. "Kids have a greater power than anyone else on the planet," said Pontiac High School teacher Paul Ritter, whose students implement green solutions as part of their coursework. "They don't know the answer 'no.'"
Pontiac is among a handful of Central Illinois schools that have been at the forefront of the "green" movement -- finding ecologically sound ways to preserve the environment through protecting the water, soil and air.
Pontiac senior Beth Guelde was part of a class that helped design a recycling project for Pontiac Correctional Center. "It gave the inmates another job, plus it saved money and time," she said, adding it doesn't take a large number of students to change the world. "All you need is someone telling you that you can do it."
The prison recycling program also has expanded into other institutions, Pontiac student Guelde said.
In Heyworth, the Key Club wrote a grant for recycling "years ago," said Superintendent Randy Merker. More recently, the elementary student council wanted to recycle paper so students raised money necessary for the project.
Eureka-Goodfield-Congerville School District started its work a few years ago with simple initiatives, such as
turning off lights, said Superintendent Randy Crump. Besides saving money, the district wanted to model behavior for its students.
High school Principal Richard Wherley said they did everything they could to set the tone for students and now "they are doing it." This year, students targeted homecoming, with a theme of "Go Green."
Instead of competing to build floats (which largely end up in a landfill), classes competed to raise money for charities. Then, students worked together to build three floats out of recycled materials.
At Deer Creek-Mackinaw High School, environmental science teacher Matt Thomann and 42 students collect and empty recycling containers in each classroom at the elementary, junior high and high schools.
The school pays Midland Davis in Pekin to recycle paper and Midland in turn provides the bins. Collections of aluminum cans help offset the cost of recycling the paper.
The work is counted as part of each student's grade. Thomann eventually would like to collect plastics and, long term, set up a community recycling site at the school.
At Pontiac, Ritter and his class pioneered a prescription drug disposal program that now is used in one-fifth of the United States. P2D2 provides designated drop-off locations for prescription and over-the-counter drugs and they are safely disposed of, rather than the common practice of flushing them down a drain, where they pollute water supplies.
"When you get them going in the right direction, they won't stop," Ritter said. Despite knowing that, he admits that he never "envisioned students across the nation could convince so many adults to properly dispose of leftover medications."
The changes also helped in other ways, as well. At Eureka, where plastic bottles are collected from the cafeteria and after sporting events, there isn't much left for the janitorial staff to clean up because students voluntarily pick up trash to make sure it is recycled. Wherley said the school now is looking at ways to reduce or reuse food waste.
The infectious energy of recycling at Pontiac led the school to obtain a grant for an auto-scrubber. "Instead of using harsh chemicals to clean the floor, we now have a machine that uses zero chemicals," Ritter said.
The kids' newest project is battery recycling, which is expanding throughout Livingston County.
"Kids educating communities is the greatest education in the world," Ritter said.
Kellie Freitag contributed to this story.
Pontiac is among a handful of Central Illinois schools that have been at the forefront of the "green" movement -- finding ecologically sound ways to preserve the environment through protecting the water, soil and air.
Pontiac senior Beth Guelde was part of a class that helped design a recycling project for Pontiac Correctional Center. "It gave the inmates another job, plus it saved money and time," she said, adding it doesn't take a large number of students to change the world. "All you need is someone telling you that you can do it."
The prison recycling program also has expanded into other institutions, Pontiac student Guelde said.
In Heyworth, the Key Club wrote a grant for recycling "years ago," said Superintendent Randy Merker. More recently, the elementary student council wanted to recycle paper so students raised money necessary for the project.
Eureka-Goodfield-Congerville School District started its work a few years ago with simple initiatives, such as
turning off lights, said Superintendent Randy Crump. Besides saving money, the district wanted to model behavior for its students.
High school Principal Richard Wherley said they did everything they could to set the tone for students and now "they are doing it." This year, students targeted homecoming, with a theme of "Go Green."
Instead of competing to build floats (which largely end up in a landfill), classes competed to raise money for charities. Then, students worked together to build three floats out of recycled materials.
At Deer Creek-Mackinaw High School, environmental science teacher Matt Thomann and 42 students collect and empty recycling containers in each classroom at the elementary, junior high and high schools.
The school pays Midland Davis in Pekin to recycle paper and Midland in turn provides the bins. Collections of aluminum cans help offset the cost of recycling the paper.
The work is counted as part of each student's grade. Thomann eventually would like to collect plastics and, long term, set up a community recycling site at the school.
At Pontiac, Ritter and his class pioneered a prescription drug disposal program that now is used in one-fifth of the United States. P2D2 provides designated drop-off locations for prescription and over-the-counter drugs and they are safely disposed of, rather than the common practice of flushing them down a drain, where they pollute water supplies.
"When you get them going in the right direction, they won't stop," Ritter said. Despite knowing that, he admits that he never "envisioned students across the nation could convince so many adults to properly dispose of leftover medications."
The changes also helped in other ways, as well. At Eureka, where plastic bottles are collected from the cafeteria and after sporting events, there isn't much left for the janitorial staff to clean up because students voluntarily pick up trash to make sure it is recycled. Wherley said the school now is looking at ways to reduce or reuse food waste.
The infectious energy of recycling at Pontiac led the school to obtain a grant for an auto-scrubber. "Instead of using harsh chemicals to clean the floor, we now have a machine that uses zero chemicals," Ritter said.
The kids' newest project is battery recycling, which is expanding throughout Livingston County.
"Kids educating communities is the greatest education in the world," Ritter said.
Kellie Freitag contributed to this story.
Tennessee P2D2 Program Eliminates Unwanted Pills
By Ian Skotte
Staff Writer
The Franklin County Prevention Coalition has been routinely notifying the public of prescription pill and drug disposal areas throughout the county. Last week, members of the coalition got together to destroy the unwanted medications.
According to Coordinator Tabatha Curtis, the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program is a collaborative effort between local police departments, the Franklin County Prevention Coalition, the Franklin County Health Council, Winchester Utilities and Duck River Membership Corporation. “The purpose is to educate the public about the harm done to the environment and community due to the current prescription and non-prescription drug disposal practices and to provide them with an alternative way of disposal that ensures the quality of our water and control of prescription drugs on our streets for future generations,” Curtis stated in a press release. plants and get into drinking water as well as making themselves readily available on the streets.
Curtis added that the program is important because many pharmaceuticals get past wastewater treatment
“This process of disposal will help to ensure safer drinking water and prevent prescription drug trafŠ cking in our streets for future generations,” Curtis said.
Staff Writer
The Franklin County Prevention Coalition has been routinely notifying the public of prescription pill and drug disposal areas throughout the county. Last week, members of the coalition got together to destroy the unwanted medications.
According to Coordinator Tabatha Curtis, the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program is a collaborative effort between local police departments, the Franklin County Prevention Coalition, the Franklin County Health Council, Winchester Utilities and Duck River Membership Corporation. “The purpose is to educate the public about the harm done to the environment and community due to the current prescription and non-prescription drug disposal practices and to provide them with an alternative way of disposal that ensures the quality of our water and control of prescription drugs on our streets for future generations,” Curtis stated in a press release. plants and get into drinking water as well as making themselves readily available on the streets.
Curtis added that the program is important because many pharmaceuticals get past wastewater treatment
“This process of disposal will help to ensure safer drinking water and prevent prescription drug trafŠ cking in our streets for future generations,” Curtis said.
The P2D2 Program welcomes its new state... Tennessee P2D2
Members of the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program are shown here with large amounts of unwanted medication that will no longer be on the streets or get into Franklin County's water. Pictured here from left to right are Tabatha Curtis, Chris Guess, George Dyer,Commissioner Scottie Riddle and Mike Bell.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Drug disposal box big success
ALTON - A month into Alton's pharmaceutical drop-off program, police have filled five, 30-gallon bags of drugs that people have dropped off, which now await incineration.
"It has exceeded our expectations; we've been overwhelmed with activity," Alton Police Chief David Hayes said. "It's a good thing, but it has been more labor-intensive than we anticipated."
Adding to the bulk is that people drop off the medications in containers.
Police empty the drop-off box, which resembles a mailbox, about every three days, he said. So many people have brought in outdated or unwanted pills and capsules on weekends that the box fills to the point it cannot be opened some Monday mornings.
"It has been very successful," he said.
Hayes said that of all of the quantity of drugs deposited, none is an illegal substance, although the process is anonymous.
The box was installed in the lobby of the Donald E. Sandidge Alton Law Enforcement Center late in the third week of September, with a kick-off ceremony following on Sept. 28.
The project, initiated by Illinois-American Water, is a collaboration among the water company, Alton Police Department, Alton Mayor Tom Hoechst and LeClaire Family Pharmacy (formerly Massey Pharmacy) of Alton.
Karen Cotton, spokeswoman for Illinois-American offices in Peoria, said the Alton program got a strong start, which continues.
"It's very busy. We have a lot of programs that start out like this but slow down," she said. "Alton is taking awhile to taper down; it's still going strong."
She said another drop-off box, which opened July 1 in Waterloo, also continues steadily collecting large amounts of unwanted drugs.
She said people often will black out their names and type of medication on canister labels, which is not an issue because the containers and their contents all are incinerated.
"We are trying to find a program to donate vials that would be used in Haiti and Africa to hand out medications," Cotton said. "In Africa, it would be used to give out medications to AIDS patients every day. If they give them a week's worth of medicine, they have found the people will take all the pills at once.
"We are in the beginning stages," she said.
If that alliance does not happen, Cotton said the company may seek ways to recycle the plastic containers.
The water company's motivation is to keep people from flushing medications down the toilet, washing them down a sink or putting them in the trash, so they will not end up in a landfill - all to prevent the medications from polluting the environment.
Prior to installing Alton's box last month, people had dropped off 130,000 pounds of unwanted medications at the first 12 Illinois-American sites, Cotton said previously.
The company provided Alton's drop-off box, which Cotton said cost $500, and it provided the Alton Police Department with $2,500 to cover any costs affiliated with the program.
Alton's drop-off box was the second in Southern Illinois and the 13th in the state.
Company officials held a ceremony Thursday at the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department in Belleville to open the 14th box in Illinois.
The drugs, both over-the-counter and prescription, are locked in the Alton Police Department's evidence vault. They will be incinerated at Alton Steel.
linda_weller@thetelegraph.com
"It has exceeded our expectations; we've been overwhelmed with activity," Alton Police Chief David Hayes said. "It's a good thing, but it has been more labor-intensive than we anticipated."
Adding to the bulk is that people drop off the medications in containers.
Police empty the drop-off box, which resembles a mailbox, about every three days, he said. So many people have brought in outdated or unwanted pills and capsules on weekends that the box fills to the point it cannot be opened some Monday mornings.
"It has been very successful," he said.
Hayes said that of all of the quantity of drugs deposited, none is an illegal substance, although the process is anonymous.
The box was installed in the lobby of the Donald E. Sandidge Alton Law Enforcement Center late in the third week of September, with a kick-off ceremony following on Sept. 28.
The project, initiated by Illinois-American Water, is a collaboration among the water company, Alton Police Department, Alton Mayor Tom Hoechst and LeClaire Family Pharmacy (formerly Massey Pharmacy) of Alton.
Karen Cotton, spokeswoman for Illinois-American offices in Peoria, said the Alton program got a strong start, which continues.
"It's very busy. We have a lot of programs that start out like this but slow down," she said. "Alton is taking awhile to taper down; it's still going strong."
She said another drop-off box, which opened July 1 in Waterloo, also continues steadily collecting large amounts of unwanted drugs.
She said people often will black out their names and type of medication on canister labels, which is not an issue because the containers and their contents all are incinerated.
"We are trying to find a program to donate vials that would be used in Haiti and Africa to hand out medications," Cotton said. "In Africa, it would be used to give out medications to AIDS patients every day. If they give them a week's worth of medicine, they have found the people will take all the pills at once.
"We are in the beginning stages," she said.
If that alliance does not happen, Cotton said the company may seek ways to recycle the plastic containers.
The water company's motivation is to keep people from flushing medications down the toilet, washing them down a sink or putting them in the trash, so they will not end up in a landfill - all to prevent the medications from polluting the environment.
Prior to installing Alton's box last month, people had dropped off 130,000 pounds of unwanted medications at the first 12 Illinois-American sites, Cotton said previously.
The company provided Alton's drop-off box, which Cotton said cost $500, and it provided the Alton Police Department with $2,500 to cover any costs affiliated with the program.
Alton's drop-off box was the second in Southern Illinois and the 13th in the state.
Company officials held a ceremony Thursday at the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department in Belleville to open the 14th box in Illinois.
The drugs, both over-the-counter and prescription, are locked in the Alton Police Department's evidence vault. They will be incinerated at Alton Steel.
linda_weller@thetelegraph.com
Saturday, October 23, 2010
St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Offers FREE Used Pharmaceuticals Drop-off Site
Local residents can drop off their outdated or unwanted medications/drugs for no charge in a “Drop-Box” at the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department starting immediately. The unveiling of this new and FREE pharmaceutical/drug drop-off program was held at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, October 21st in the lobby of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.
The program is a product of teamwork between the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, St. Clair County Health Department, City of Belleville, Illinois American Water and Southwestern Illinois College.
Together these companies and agencies have worked to expand the efforts of the popular Pontiac Prescription Drug Disposal (P2D2) program into St. Clair County by implementing and funding a drug disposal site at the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office. The group hopes their work will help protect water resources and keep unwanted drugs out of children's hands.
On hand for the unveiling, St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern said, “By promoting local disposal programs and practicing proper disposal of pharmaceuticals we are able to protect two very valuable resources, our children and our water.” He continued, “I commend this group for the efforts they are putting forth to make this happen.”
The disposal box, donated by Illinois American Water, is located in the lobby of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office. Unwanted medications and drugs, such as prescription pills and liquids, over-the counter medications, or illegal substances collected in the pharmaceutical/drug disposal box will be in continuous custody of law enforcement and then properly disposed by incineration. Items should be delivered in their original containers, if possible. Any liquid items placed in the box should be in sealed, leak-proof containers. In his comments, Sheriff Mearl Justus stated access to the drop-box is daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“This program gives residents an alternative to flushing their medications, which can be harmful to our water sources,” said Karla Olson Teasley, President of Illinois American Water. “By properly disposing of unwanted medications we are helping to protect our water supply for future generations.”
The St. Clair County pharmaceutical disposal program, available to all St. Clair County residents was adopted from a model developed by Pontiac High School Township students and their teacher Paul Ritter. The program, P2D2, has been recognized by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois EPA and the Department of Natural Resources as a model for all pharmaceutical disposal programs. To learn more, please visit: www.epa.state.il.us/medication-disposal .
October 22, 2010
Toll of drug addiction stark reminder for students
By M.K. Guetersloh | mkguetersloh@pantagraph.com pantagraph.com | Posted: Thursday, October 21, 2010 11:16 pm | Loading…
Font Size:Default font sizeLarger font size.PONTIAC — Watching Gail Katz’s slideshow of her son, Daniel, moved Pontiac Township High School senior Morgan Kelly to tears.
Katz spent more than an hour Thursday talking to students at the school about how her son struggled with drug addiction and how it eventually killed him when he was 25 years old.
“I just kept thinking what if that was my mom up there talking about my brother,” said Kelly, 17. “It made me sad.”
Fellow senior Chase Alford, 18, said he thought the program made students think about the consequences of their choices.
“People don’t think taking drugs is a big deal,” Alford said. “But listening to her story and seeing those pictures of her son really show it’s not worth it.”
Katz and her family’s Save a Star Foundation stopped at the school as part of their efforts to educate teenagers about the dangers of abusing drugs, including prescriptions.
“My son was just like you,” Katz told the students. “We never thought we would have a drug addict in our family.”
Katz described how her son started experimenting with alcohol when he was 12. Then he moved on to marijuana and continued drinking while in high school. During his first year away at college, Daniel Katz started taking prescription drugs. Although he tried several times to get sober, he slipped.
“They tell you that you have to let them hit bottom,” she said. “It’s hard to let someone hit bottom, especially if their bottom could be death, like Daniel’s.”
Daniel Katz died in 2007 from an overdose of a prescription painkiller and cocaine.
The Highland Park-based foundation was invited to Pontiac by Paul Ritter, a teacher who helped sponsor a prescription drug disposal program called P2D2.
“The plain and simple fact is, prescription drug abuse is everywhere,” Ritter said. “People actually think it is safer to abuse prescription drugs than street drugs.”
Livingston County Coroner Mike Burke said his office has handled 30 deaths from drug overdoses since 1999. In the last three years the number of cases has gone from one or two a year to six deaths in 2008, nine in 2009 and four so far this year.
Font Size:Default font sizeLarger font size.PONTIAC — Watching Gail Katz’s slideshow of her son, Daniel, moved Pontiac Township High School senior Morgan Kelly to tears.
Katz spent more than an hour Thursday talking to students at the school about how her son struggled with drug addiction and how it eventually killed him when he was 25 years old.
“I just kept thinking what if that was my mom up there talking about my brother,” said Kelly, 17. “It made me sad.”
Fellow senior Chase Alford, 18, said he thought the program made students think about the consequences of their choices.
“People don’t think taking drugs is a big deal,” Alford said. “But listening to her story and seeing those pictures of her son really show it’s not worth it.”
Katz and her family’s Save a Star Foundation stopped at the school as part of their efforts to educate teenagers about the dangers of abusing drugs, including prescriptions.
“My son was just like you,” Katz told the students. “We never thought we would have a drug addict in our family.”
Katz described how her son started experimenting with alcohol when he was 12. Then he moved on to marijuana and continued drinking while in high school. During his first year away at college, Daniel Katz started taking prescription drugs. Although he tried several times to get sober, he slipped.
“They tell you that you have to let them hit bottom,” she said. “It’s hard to let someone hit bottom, especially if their bottom could be death, like Daniel’s.”
Daniel Katz died in 2007 from an overdose of a prescription painkiller and cocaine.
The Highland Park-based foundation was invited to Pontiac by Paul Ritter, a teacher who helped sponsor a prescription drug disposal program called P2D2.
“The plain and simple fact is, prescription drug abuse is everywhere,” Ritter said. “People actually think it is safer to abuse prescription drugs than street drugs.”
Livingston County Coroner Mike Burke said his office has handled 30 deaths from drug overdoses since 1999. In the last three years the number of cases has gone from one or two a year to six deaths in 2008, nine in 2009 and four so far this year.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Alton, Illinois debuts drug disposal box
September 28, 2010 8:21 PM
By CYNTHIA M. ELLIS
The Telegraph
ALTON - The city launched a drug disposal program Tuesday that will allow people to get rid of unwanted or expired medications safely.
"The disposal box will make a positive impact on our local water supplies," said Karla Olson Teasley, president of Illinois-American Water Co.
A kickoff ceremony was held to initiate the use of the pharmaceutical drop-off box in the lobby of the Donald E. Sandidge Alton Law Enforcement Center.
Teasley said the box provides an easy way for the public to dispose of unwanted medications properly, plus keep them out of the hands of children.
The box is similar to a mailbox, bolted to the floor and in range of a surveillance camera inside the police station. The expired or unwanted medications can be over-the-counter or prescription.
The unwanted or expired medications will be incinerated, which is the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended approach for pharmaceutical disposal.
"We found that it takes more than just one person or one organization to make these kinds of programs happen," Teasley said.
The project is a collaboration among Illinois-American Water, the Alton Police Department, Alton Mayor Tom Hoechst and LeClaire Family Pharmacy (formerly Massey Pharmacy) of North Alton.
"We are protecting two of our most valuable resources - our children and our water," Hoechst said. "It's important to keep drugs out of water systems."
Hoescht said that less than 1 percent of the world's water is fit for human consumption.
"It goes to show you that we should maintain and preserve the integrity of our water system," he said. "Without it, we cannot survive."
Karen Cotton, spokeswoman for Illinois-American, said the Alton drop-off box is the company's second such container in Southern Illinois and the 13th statewide. A 14th pharmaceutical box is in the works for Belleville, but plans are not finalized, she said.
"Our goal is to establish a greatly expanded network of secure pharmaceutical collection centers throughout the state," Cotton said.
Olivia Dorothy, river conservation liaison with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said Pontiac Township High School developed the P2D2 medication disposal program that has served as a model. She said the program accomplishes two goals - it keeps drugs off the streets and children safe, and it protects our drinking water.
"I really hope that someday we see this program in all Illinois communities," Dorothy said.
Cotton said some 130,000 pounds of unwanted medications have been collected at the 12 initial boxes and then incinerated to date.
The event in Alton was held in conjunction with National Take Back Day, which is a program of the U.S. Department of Justice and its Drug Enforcement Administration. The purpose is to remove potentially dangerous, controlled substances from the nation's medicine cabinets, ensuring they will not be used illegally or disposed of improperly so as to harm the environment or public health.
cellis@thetelegraph.com
By CYNTHIA M. ELLIS
The Telegraph
ALTON - The city launched a drug disposal program Tuesday that will allow people to get rid of unwanted or expired medications safely.
"The disposal box will make a positive impact on our local water supplies," said Karla Olson Teasley, president of Illinois-American Water Co.
A kickoff ceremony was held to initiate the use of the pharmaceutical drop-off box in the lobby of the Donald E. Sandidge Alton Law Enforcement Center.
Teasley said the box provides an easy way for the public to dispose of unwanted medications properly, plus keep them out of the hands of children.
The box is similar to a mailbox, bolted to the floor and in range of a surveillance camera inside the police station. The expired or unwanted medications can be over-the-counter or prescription.
The unwanted or expired medications will be incinerated, which is the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended approach for pharmaceutical disposal.
"We found that it takes more than just one person or one organization to make these kinds of programs happen," Teasley said.
The project is a collaboration among Illinois-American Water, the Alton Police Department, Alton Mayor Tom Hoechst and LeClaire Family Pharmacy (formerly Massey Pharmacy) of North Alton.
"We are protecting two of our most valuable resources - our children and our water," Hoechst said. "It's important to keep drugs out of water systems."
Hoescht said that less than 1 percent of the world's water is fit for human consumption.
"It goes to show you that we should maintain and preserve the integrity of our water system," he said. "Without it, we cannot survive."
Karen Cotton, spokeswoman for Illinois-American, said the Alton drop-off box is the company's second such container in Southern Illinois and the 13th statewide. A 14th pharmaceutical box is in the works for Belleville, but plans are not finalized, she said.
"Our goal is to establish a greatly expanded network of secure pharmaceutical collection centers throughout the state," Cotton said.
Olivia Dorothy, river conservation liaison with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said Pontiac Township High School developed the P2D2 medication disposal program that has served as a model. She said the program accomplishes two goals - it keeps drugs off the streets and children safe, and it protects our drinking water.
"I really hope that someday we see this program in all Illinois communities," Dorothy said.
Cotton said some 130,000 pounds of unwanted medications have been collected at the 12 initial boxes and then incinerated to date.
The event in Alton was held in conjunction with National Take Back Day, which is a program of the U.S. Department of Justice and its Drug Enforcement Administration. The purpose is to remove potentially dangerous, controlled substances from the nation's medicine cabinets, ensuring they will not be used illegally or disposed of improperly so as to harm the environment or public health.
cellis@thetelegraph.com
Pierce County, Washington Police pleased with response to prescription drug return program (P2D2)
After hundreds of pounds of medication were safely turned over Saturday during Prescription Drug Take Back Day, local law enforcement agencies are looking to make the program permanent.
STACIA GLENN; STAFF WRITER
Published: 09/29/1012:05 am | Updated: 09/29/10 3:28 am
0 Comments
After hundreds of pounds of medication were safely turned over Saturday during Prescription Drug Take Back Day, local law enforcement agencies are looking to make the program permanent.
Several departments participated in the national program that set up 2,700 collection sites and encouraged people to anonymously drop off unwanted antibiotics, antidepressants and whatever else was languishing in their medicine cabinets.
During a four-hour span Saturday, a steady stream of residents dropped pill bottles in locked boxes.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department set out containers in University Place and South Hill. The public filled two boxes weighing 611/2 pounds in South Hill and four boxes weighing 1671/2 pounds in University Place.
“The results show the need for this kind of effort,” Sheriff Paul Pastor said. “Prescription drugs are increasingly subject to abuse and when misused have the ability to ruin neighborhoods, families and individual lives.”
The department is researching possible security issues and how other agencies have handled the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program (P2D2), but hope to make drop-off boxes available year-round.
Puyallup police Lt. Dave McDonald said the program, which started there at the beginning of the year, has been a great success.
About 160 pounds of prescription drugs were safely deposited in their lobby before the federal Drug Enforcement Agency-sponsored event. Another 68 pounds of medication were dropped off Saturday by residents, many of whom told officers they stopped on their way to the Puyallup Fair.
“This all comes about because of the same concern about keeping drugs out of the hands of children, keeping drugs from being stolen and abused by drug addicts, and keeping our streams and waterways free of the drugs,” McDonald said.
Many people flush their expired or unwanted drugs down the toilet, increasing the chance that the drugs end up in our water supply, he explained.
The pills – and their containers – are incinerated after they are dropped off at police stations, along with other narcotics seized by police as evidence during unrelated investigations.
Kent police, who gathered 178 pounds of prescription medication during Saturday’s event, said they hope to sponsor another day in the near future.
Tacoma police did not participate in the event because it set up prescription drug collection containers at its headquarters and four of the police substations in August. The secure containers were provided by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
“We already had the boxes in place and had already started our own disposal program,” police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. “The plan is to keep them here. We want people to know they can do it anytime throughout the year.”
Staff writer Stacey Mulick contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/09/29/1360669/police-pleased-with-prescription.html#ixzz10vIHpZYv
STACIA GLENN; STAFF WRITER
Published: 09/29/1012:05 am | Updated: 09/29/10 3:28 am
0 Comments
After hundreds of pounds of medication were safely turned over Saturday during Prescription Drug Take Back Day, local law enforcement agencies are looking to make the program permanent.
Several departments participated in the national program that set up 2,700 collection sites and encouraged people to anonymously drop off unwanted antibiotics, antidepressants and whatever else was languishing in their medicine cabinets.
During a four-hour span Saturday, a steady stream of residents dropped pill bottles in locked boxes.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department set out containers in University Place and South Hill. The public filled two boxes weighing 611/2 pounds in South Hill and four boxes weighing 1671/2 pounds in University Place.
“The results show the need for this kind of effort,” Sheriff Paul Pastor said. “Prescription drugs are increasingly subject to abuse and when misused have the ability to ruin neighborhoods, families and individual lives.”
The department is researching possible security issues and how other agencies have handled the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program (P2D2), but hope to make drop-off boxes available year-round.
Puyallup police Lt. Dave McDonald said the program, which started there at the beginning of the year, has been a great success.
About 160 pounds of prescription drugs were safely deposited in their lobby before the federal Drug Enforcement Agency-sponsored event. Another 68 pounds of medication were dropped off Saturday by residents, many of whom told officers they stopped on their way to the Puyallup Fair.
“This all comes about because of the same concern about keeping drugs out of the hands of children, keeping drugs from being stolen and abused by drug addicts, and keeping our streams and waterways free of the drugs,” McDonald said.
Many people flush their expired or unwanted drugs down the toilet, increasing the chance that the drugs end up in our water supply, he explained.
The pills – and their containers – are incinerated after they are dropped off at police stations, along with other narcotics seized by police as evidence during unrelated investigations.
Kent police, who gathered 178 pounds of prescription medication during Saturday’s event, said they hope to sponsor another day in the near future.
Tacoma police did not participate in the event because it set up prescription drug collection containers at its headquarters and four of the police substations in August. The secure containers were provided by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
“We already had the boxes in place and had already started our own disposal program,” police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. “The plan is to keep them here. We want people to know they can do it anytime throughout the year.”
Staff writer Stacey Mulick contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/09/29/1360669/police-pleased-with-prescription.html#ixzz10vIHpZYv
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Pennsylvania P2D2 Program Directors Bernie And Bev Strain Reach Out To World Communities
Pennsylvania P2D2 Program Directors Bernie And Bev Strain Reach Out To World Communities
A Call To Action For Proper Medication Disposal On NBC Today Show And CBS Evening News With Katie Couric
We will post video ASAP.
NBC Today Show
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39328587/ns/health-more_health_news/
NBC Video
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/39340775#39340775
CBS with Katie Couric
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/24/eveningnews/main6898463.shtml
A Call To Action For Proper Medication Disposal On NBC Today Show And CBS Evening News With Katie Couric
We will post video ASAP.
NBC Today Show
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39328587/ns/health-more_health_news/
NBC Video
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/39340775#39340775
CBS with Katie Couric
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/24/eveningnews/main6898463.shtml
A Wave of Addiction and Crime, with the Medicine Cabinet to Blame
September 23, 2010
By ABBY GOODNOUGH
BOSTON — Police departments have collected thousands of handguns through buy-back programs in communities throughout the country. Now they want the contents of your medicine cabinet.
Opiate painkillers and other prescription drugs, officials say, are driving addiction and crime like never before, with addicts singling out the homes of sick or elderly people and posing as potential buyers at open houses just to raid the medicine cabinets. The crimes, and the severity of the nation’s drug abuse problem, have so vexed the authorities that they are calling on citizens to surrender old bottles of potent pills like Vicodin, Percocet and Xanax.
On Saturday, the police will set up drop-off stations at a Wal-Mart in Pearland, Tex., a zoo in Wichita, Kan., a sports complex in Peoria, Ariz., and more than 4,000 other locations to oversee a prescription drug take-back program. Coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, it will be the first such effort with national scope.
The take-back day is being held as waves of data suggest the country’s prescription drug problem is vast and growing. In 17 states, deaths from drugs — both prescription and illegal — now exceed those from motor vehicle accidents, with opiate painkillers playing a leading role. The number of people seeking treatment for painkiller addiction jumped 400 percent from 1998 to 2008, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
And from rural New England to the densely populated South, law enforcement officials are combating a sharp rise in crime tied to prescription drugs.
“We’re seeing people desperately and aggressively trying to get their hands on these pills,” said Janet T. Mills, the attorney general in Maine. “Home invasions, robberies, assaults, homicides, thefts — all kinds of crimes are being linked to prescription drugs.”
In Harpswell, Me., a masked man broke into the home of a 77-year-old woman in June, knocked her to the ground and snatched her Oxycontin pills at knifepoint. And in Hyannis, Mass., three men armed with a knife, a bat and a revolver broke into a home in 2008, bound the owner’s hands and feet with duct tape and tore through drawers and cabinets until they found her husband’s Oxycontin.
In other states, the authorities say, pill thieves have infiltrated open houses.
“One will distract the Realtor,” said Matthew Murphy, assistant special agent in charge at the D.E.A.’s New England field division in Boston, “while the other goes and rifles through the medicine cabinet looking for pain medication.”
Skeptics, pointing to the dearth of evidence that gun buybacks have reduced the gun crime rate, question whether even a national take-back effort will have much impact. And they question whether most people will bother to participate when the take-back programs, unlike the gun programs, do not offer a reward for turning in pills.
There is also the reality that many people intentionally hang on to pain or anxiety medicine for future use.
“They might say, ‘I’ll take back my Oxy but not my Vicodin,’ ” said Neale Adams, the district attorney in Aroostook County, Me. He said “easily a third” of the indictments there were related to prescription drug trafficking and abuse.
The officials coordinating Saturday’s drug take-back program acknowledge that even with a few thousand drop-off points, it will capture but a tiny fraction of the addictive drugs lining the nation’s medicine cabinets.
Nor will it address root causes of addiction, like the overprescribing of powerful drugs. In New York City, the number of oxycodone prescriptions filled at pharmacies rose by 66 percent from 2007 to 2009, with a high density of prescriptions per population in middle-class strongholds like Staten Island and Chelsea.
But Steve Bullock, the attorney general in Montana, said the program was a worthy tool, nonetheless.
“It raises the awareness that we tend to hoard these drugs and hang onto them,” he said. “And raising that awareness is one more step in dealing with the overall problem.”
In lobbying the public to participate, law enforcement officials and others who battle prescription drug abuse try to educate people on just how lethal keeping pills around can be.
“It’s really no different than having a loaded gun just lying around the house,” said Joanne Peterson of Raynham, Mass., who started a support group for relatives of prescription drug abusers after her son tried a friend’s Oxycontin and became addicted.
While the primary goal of the take-back day is to reduce the volume of pills in households, there may also be environmental benefits. The collected drugs will be incinerated instead of flushed down toilets, which can release them into the water supply.
Incineration is the best way to dispose of controlled prescription drugs, Mr. Murphy said, but the cost of contracting with private disposal companies can be prohibitive. Some communities have gotten creative: in Bella Vista, Ark., the police department bought a small incinerator specifically to destroy pills. And in West Lafayette, Ind., a pet crematory incinerates pills collected by the police at no charge.
Gary Boggs, executive assistant in the office of diversion control at D.E.A. headquarters in Washington, said the agency hoped to coordinate national drug take-back days twice a year until federal law allows other options for safe prescription drug disposal. Several bills before Congress would loosen regulations on who can collect used drugs.
Meanwhile, a growing number of state legislatures are considering bills that would require drug manufacturers to help coordinate and pay for the collection and disposal of leftover prescription drugs.
Bernard Strain of Philadelphia, whose teenage son Timmy died last year after taking prescription methadone pills that had been sitting in a medicine cabinet, said pushing for drug collection programs had become his crusade.
Timmy had been prescribed Percocet after burning his hand on a lawnmower, Mr. Strain said. When his pain persisted, his girlfriend’s mother offered him two pills that he thought were extra-strength Percocet but turned out to be methadone, another powerful painkiller. He died that night.
“This is about saving even just one life,” said Mr. Strain, who will help supervise a take-back site in Philadelphia on Saturday. “If we can dispose of cans and bottles and oil from our car properly, why can’t we dispose of something the size of a dime that can kill you?”
Anemona Hartocollis contributed reporting from New York and Katie Zezima from Boston.
By ABBY GOODNOUGH
BOSTON — Police departments have collected thousands of handguns through buy-back programs in communities throughout the country. Now they want the contents of your medicine cabinet.
Opiate painkillers and other prescription drugs, officials say, are driving addiction and crime like never before, with addicts singling out the homes of sick or elderly people and posing as potential buyers at open houses just to raid the medicine cabinets. The crimes, and the severity of the nation’s drug abuse problem, have so vexed the authorities that they are calling on citizens to surrender old bottles of potent pills like Vicodin, Percocet and Xanax.
On Saturday, the police will set up drop-off stations at a Wal-Mart in Pearland, Tex., a zoo in Wichita, Kan., a sports complex in Peoria, Ariz., and more than 4,000 other locations to oversee a prescription drug take-back program. Coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, it will be the first such effort with national scope.
The take-back day is being held as waves of data suggest the country’s prescription drug problem is vast and growing. In 17 states, deaths from drugs — both prescription and illegal — now exceed those from motor vehicle accidents, with opiate painkillers playing a leading role. The number of people seeking treatment for painkiller addiction jumped 400 percent from 1998 to 2008, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
And from rural New England to the densely populated South, law enforcement officials are combating a sharp rise in crime tied to prescription drugs.
“We’re seeing people desperately and aggressively trying to get their hands on these pills,” said Janet T. Mills, the attorney general in Maine. “Home invasions, robberies, assaults, homicides, thefts — all kinds of crimes are being linked to prescription drugs.”
In Harpswell, Me., a masked man broke into the home of a 77-year-old woman in June, knocked her to the ground and snatched her Oxycontin pills at knifepoint. And in Hyannis, Mass., three men armed with a knife, a bat and a revolver broke into a home in 2008, bound the owner’s hands and feet with duct tape and tore through drawers and cabinets until they found her husband’s Oxycontin.
In other states, the authorities say, pill thieves have infiltrated open houses.
“One will distract the Realtor,” said Matthew Murphy, assistant special agent in charge at the D.E.A.’s New England field division in Boston, “while the other goes and rifles through the medicine cabinet looking for pain medication.”
Skeptics, pointing to the dearth of evidence that gun buybacks have reduced the gun crime rate, question whether even a national take-back effort will have much impact. And they question whether most people will bother to participate when the take-back programs, unlike the gun programs, do not offer a reward for turning in pills.
There is also the reality that many people intentionally hang on to pain or anxiety medicine for future use.
“They might say, ‘I’ll take back my Oxy but not my Vicodin,’ ” said Neale Adams, the district attorney in Aroostook County, Me. He said “easily a third” of the indictments there were related to prescription drug trafficking and abuse.
The officials coordinating Saturday’s drug take-back program acknowledge that even with a few thousand drop-off points, it will capture but a tiny fraction of the addictive drugs lining the nation’s medicine cabinets.
Nor will it address root causes of addiction, like the overprescribing of powerful drugs. In New York City, the number of oxycodone prescriptions filled at pharmacies rose by 66 percent from 2007 to 2009, with a high density of prescriptions per population in middle-class strongholds like Staten Island and Chelsea.
But Steve Bullock, the attorney general in Montana, said the program was a worthy tool, nonetheless.
“It raises the awareness that we tend to hoard these drugs and hang onto them,” he said. “And raising that awareness is one more step in dealing with the overall problem.”
In lobbying the public to participate, law enforcement officials and others who battle prescription drug abuse try to educate people on just how lethal keeping pills around can be.
“It’s really no different than having a loaded gun just lying around the house,” said Joanne Peterson of Raynham, Mass., who started a support group for relatives of prescription drug abusers after her son tried a friend’s Oxycontin and became addicted.
While the primary goal of the take-back day is to reduce the volume of pills in households, there may also be environmental benefits. The collected drugs will be incinerated instead of flushed down toilets, which can release them into the water supply.
Incineration is the best way to dispose of controlled prescription drugs, Mr. Murphy said, but the cost of contracting with private disposal companies can be prohibitive. Some communities have gotten creative: in Bella Vista, Ark., the police department bought a small incinerator specifically to destroy pills. And in West Lafayette, Ind., a pet crematory incinerates pills collected by the police at no charge.
Gary Boggs, executive assistant in the office of diversion control at D.E.A. headquarters in Washington, said the agency hoped to coordinate national drug take-back days twice a year until federal law allows other options for safe prescription drug disposal. Several bills before Congress would loosen regulations on who can collect used drugs.
Meanwhile, a growing number of state legislatures are considering bills that would require drug manufacturers to help coordinate and pay for the collection and disposal of leftover prescription drugs.
Bernard Strain of Philadelphia, whose teenage son Timmy died last year after taking prescription methadone pills that had been sitting in a medicine cabinet, said pushing for drug collection programs had become his crusade.
Timmy had been prescribed Percocet after burning his hand on a lawnmower, Mr. Strain said. When his pain persisted, his girlfriend’s mother offered him two pills that he thought were extra-strength Percocet but turned out to be methadone, another powerful painkiller. He died that night.
“This is about saving even just one life,” said Mr. Strain, who will help supervise a take-back site in Philadelphia on Saturday. “If we can dispose of cans and bottles and oil from our car properly, why can’t we dispose of something the size of a dime that can kill you?”
Anemona Hartocollis contributed reporting from New York and Katie Zezima from Boston.
Program to Stop Accidental Overdoses Hits Home
CBS) In 2009 there were 7 million Americans aged 12 years and older who abused prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. Starting Saturday the DEA will offer a program to take back unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
For Bernie Strain it's heartbreaking to talk about his dead son.
"One day he joked his autograph would be worth something," says Strain.
Timmy Strain was 18 last year. He was recovering from a burn wound when his girlfriend's mother offered what were thought to be painkillers left over in a medicine cabinet. They turned out to be methadone. Timmy took the pills and died that night.
"There are only so many days you can go to the cemetery," says Strain.
Timmy is one statistic in a sea of troubling numbers. Nationwide there were 13,800 accidental overdose deaths from prescription painkillers in 2006, triple the number from 1999. That's more deaths than from heroin and cocaine combined, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.
"Most of those pharmaceutical drugs originate in our medicine cabinets in our home," says the DEA's Jack Riley.
The DEA's take-back program is designed to get unwanted drugs out of medicine cabinets before unwitting youngsters, confused adults or thieves can get to them. The returned drugs will be incinerated.
The DEA has set up 4,000 drop-off locations across the country where people can turn in their drugs anonymously and the DEA's website will locate the drop-off locations according to zip code.
The number of people requesting treatment for addiction to painkillers has gone up 400 percent from 1998 to 2008. At a Chicago drug treatment center officials hope the take-back program is just the start of an effort to counter the trend.
"I would hope that they would have an ongoing effort. You're not going to have an impact on these kinds of problems by a one-day effort," says the Haymarket Center's vice president Anthony Cole.
Haunted by his son's death, Bernie Strain lobbied Washington for a program like the program the DEA is inaugurating this weekend. He'll be supervising one of the drop-off sites in Philadelphia.
"When I'm at my busiest time with this issue I can let it go to try to help someone else," says Strain.
By doing so, he tries to save a life.
For Bernie Strain it's heartbreaking to talk about his dead son.
"One day he joked his autograph would be worth something," says Strain.
Timmy Strain was 18 last year. He was recovering from a burn wound when his girlfriend's mother offered what were thought to be painkillers left over in a medicine cabinet. They turned out to be methadone. Timmy took the pills and died that night.
"There are only so many days you can go to the cemetery," says Strain.
Timmy is one statistic in a sea of troubling numbers. Nationwide there were 13,800 accidental overdose deaths from prescription painkillers in 2006, triple the number from 1999. That's more deaths than from heroin and cocaine combined, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.
"Most of those pharmaceutical drugs originate in our medicine cabinets in our home," says the DEA's Jack Riley.
The DEA's take-back program is designed to get unwanted drugs out of medicine cabinets before unwitting youngsters, confused adults or thieves can get to them. The returned drugs will be incinerated.
The DEA has set up 4,000 drop-off locations across the country where people can turn in their drugs anonymously and the DEA's website will locate the drop-off locations according to zip code.
The number of people requesting treatment for addiction to painkillers has gone up 400 percent from 1998 to 2008. At a Chicago drug treatment center officials hope the take-back program is just the start of an effort to counter the trend.
"I would hope that they would have an ongoing effort. You're not going to have an impact on these kinds of problems by a one-day effort," says the Haymarket Center's vice president Anthony Cole.
Haunted by his son's death, Bernie Strain lobbied Washington for a program like the program the DEA is inaugurating this weekend. He'll be supervising one of the drop-off sites in Philadelphia.
"When I'm at my busiest time with this issue I can let it go to try to help someone else," says Strain.
By doing so, he tries to save a life.
Drug disposal program lauded for successes
Journal Star
Posted Sep 23, 2010 @ 06:50 PM
PEORIA — More than 130,000 pounds of unwanted medications have been kept out of central Illinois' water supply thanks to a model pharmaceutical disposal program.
Pontiac High School environmental teacher Paul Ritter and his students initiated "P2D2" several years ago as a safe way to dispose of unwanted drugs. Drop boxes similar to mail boxes are placed in a secure location, such as a police station, where people can leave their unused medicines. The collected drugs are incinerated.
"This program gives residents an alternative to flushing the medications, which can be harmful to our water sources," Karla Olson Teasley, president of Illinois American Water Co., said in a prepared statement. "By properly disposing of unwanted medications we are helping to protect our water supply for future generations."
Illinois American has helped set up 12 P2D2-based programs, including sites in Peoria, Bartonville, Chillicothe, Pekin and Peoria Heights. The newest program will open in Alton next Tuesday; more programs are expected to start before year's end.
Posted Sep 23, 2010 @ 06:50 PM
PEORIA — More than 130,000 pounds of unwanted medications have been kept out of central Illinois' water supply thanks to a model pharmaceutical disposal program.
Pontiac High School environmental teacher Paul Ritter and his students initiated "P2D2" several years ago as a safe way to dispose of unwanted drugs. Drop boxes similar to mail boxes are placed in a secure location, such as a police station, where people can leave their unused medicines. The collected drugs are incinerated.
"This program gives residents an alternative to flushing the medications, which can be harmful to our water sources," Karla Olson Teasley, president of Illinois American Water Co., said in a prepared statement. "By properly disposing of unwanted medications we are helping to protect our water supply for future generations."
Illinois American has helped set up 12 P2D2-based programs, including sites in Peoria, Bartonville, Chillicothe, Pekin and Peoria Heights. The newest program will open in Alton next Tuesday; more programs are expected to start before year's end.
National Drug Take Back Event Puyallup, Washington
9/25, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Location
Puyallup Police Department
311 W. Pioneer
The Puyallup Police Department is one of several Pierce County agencies participating in the national DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back day this Saturday, September 25th, 2010. Unused, unwanted and expired prescription medications can be properly and anonymously disposed of in the Police Department lobby at 311 W. Pioneer. The Puyallup Police Department offers the drug disposal service year round, 24 hours a day through its P2D2 Program (Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal). For the national DEA event, there will be police staff in the lobby on September 25th, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to answer questions and provide additional resources.
Location
Puyallup Police Department
311 W. Pioneer
The Puyallup Police Department is one of several Pierce County agencies participating in the national DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back day this Saturday, September 25th, 2010. Unused, unwanted and expired prescription medications can be properly and anonymously disposed of in the Police Department lobby at 311 W. Pioneer. The Puyallup Police Department offers the drug disposal service year round, 24 hours a day through its P2D2 Program (Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal). For the national DEA event, there will be police staff in the lobby on September 25th, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to answer questions and provide additional resources.
Medication disposal program nets 130,000 pounds to date
09/24/2010, 10:59 pm
Illinois American Water's model for water source protection through proper pharmaceutical disposal has helped set up 12 disposal programs, including one in Streator, and contributed to the collection and proper disposal of 130,000 pounds of unwanted medications.
The pharmaceutical disposal program utilized by Illinois American Water was developed by Pontiac High School Township students and their teacher Paul Ritter. The program, P2D2, has been recognized by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois EPA and the Department of Natural Resources as a model for all pharmaceutical disposal programs.
Illinois American Water, a member of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Medication Education Disposal Solutions task force, works with P2D2, communities and environmental leaders to place pharmaceutical drop boxes at police departments so people can easily dispose of their unwanted medications. The drop boxes, similar to mail boxes, are placed in a convenient location within the police department and bolted to the floor. Collected medications are destroyed through incineration.
On Sept. 25, the DEA plans its first National Take Back Day for prescription collection. Community disposal programs supported by Illinois American Water include three locations in Peoria as well as sites in Bartonville, Champaign, Chillicothe, Pekin, Peoria Heights, Pontiac, Streator, Urbana and Waterloo.
Additional programs will be set up by year-end, including the implementation of the newest program in Alton on Tuesday, Sept. 28.
Illinois American Water's model for water source protection through proper pharmaceutical disposal has helped set up 12 disposal programs, including one in Streator, and contributed to the collection and proper disposal of 130,000 pounds of unwanted medications.
The pharmaceutical disposal program utilized by Illinois American Water was developed by Pontiac High School Township students and their teacher Paul Ritter. The program, P2D2, has been recognized by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois EPA and the Department of Natural Resources as a model for all pharmaceutical disposal programs.
Illinois American Water, a member of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Medication Education Disposal Solutions task force, works with P2D2, communities and environmental leaders to place pharmaceutical drop boxes at police departments so people can easily dispose of their unwanted medications. The drop boxes, similar to mail boxes, are placed in a convenient location within the police department and bolted to the floor. Collected medications are destroyed through incineration.
On Sept. 25, the DEA plans its first National Take Back Day for prescription collection. Community disposal programs supported by Illinois American Water include three locations in Peoria as well as sites in Bartonville, Champaign, Chillicothe, Pekin, Peoria Heights, Pontiac, Streator, Urbana and Waterloo.
Additional programs will be set up by year-end, including the implementation of the newest program in Alton on Tuesday, Sept. 28.
Saturday, discard old prescription drugs at safe sites
By Jeff Gelles
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bernie and Beverly Strain, a Manayunk couple who lost their 18-year-old son last year to a medicine interaction, have a message for you:
Take some time Saturday to clean out unneeded prescription or nonprescription drugs from your medicine cabinets. Then take the drugs to one of the 3,400 sites around the country - including dozens of police stations and municipal buildings in the Philadelphia area - that have agreed to take them for safe disposal.
Old medications will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a nearby site, visithttp://go.philly.com/takeback.
The Manayunk couple, parents of three boys, have been working for months to promote what the Drug Enforcement Administration calls its "National Take-Back Initiative," even though it means repeatedly reliving the pain they suffered after a shocking 7 a.m. phone call in August 2009.
"It might sound cliche-ish, but we're trying to turn lemons into lemonade here," Bernie Strain said during a news conference Friday with Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.). He said his son's death helps illustrate why misused prescription drugs are a large, and largely unrecognized, risk.
"We'd much rather be talking about Timmy throwing an 80 m.p.h. fastball, or pitching a no-hitter one day," he said. "We're trying to save a life."
On May 24 - which would have been Tim's 19th birthday - Casey won passage of a resolution setting Saturday as "Timothy Strain Prescription Drug Disposal Awareness Day."
When he died, Strain was a student at Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences. He was taking a prescription painkiller after burning himself on a lawn mower's muffler while cutting grass to raise money for college. His goal was to be a veterinarian.
Strain was still hurting one night while visiting his girlfriend, so her mother decided to give him another, stronger painkiller that she had been prescribed, his father says. Tim was found dead the next morning.
Bernie Strain works as an assistant to State Treasurer Rob McCord, and Beverly Strain is a nurse. As they decided to seek some good from Tim's senseless death, Bernie Strain says, they learned that prescription-drug overdoses or interactions killed more than 27,000 people last year. "More people die from prescription drugs than die from illegal drugs," he says.
They also learned that simply tossing old drugs, which can be powerful toxics or carcinogens, poses environmental risk. For instance, discarded hormones are believed to have harmed development in some species of fish.
Strain now serves as coordinator of Pennsylvania's P2D2 Program, a prescription-drug education and disposal program that aims to make it easier to discard drugs.
"We're always worried about kids' crawling under our sinks and drinking our Clorox," Strain says. "But something the size of a dime can kill you."
Beyond cleaning your cabinets and disposing of your drugs, Bernie Strain's parting advice is to parents regarding their children: "Tell them you love them every day."
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Antioch students help residents discard old pharmaceuticals, safely
Students at Antioch Community High School are taking the lead in a program to help eliminate discarded pharmaceuticals from rivers and streams in the United States.
The prescription pill and drug disposal program called P²D², started by a girl in downstate Pontiac, IL, is an effort to stop people from flushing their old or unwanted prescription pills down the toilet. A local businessman presented the concept to students at Antioch High School as a project and Environmental Club members are running with the idea, calling it "Go Blue with P²D²."
Students presented their plan on Thursday to the Antioch-Lake Villa High School District 117 school board at Lakes Community High School in Lake Villa.
"Our plan is launch this for the school and the district," said Stephen Rose, social studies teacher and adviser to the Environmental Club at Antioch High School.
Representing the club, student member Michael Hall said 80 percent of the waterways tested in this country are found to have traces of antihistamines, antibiotics and sex hormones. He said fish are mutating and some male fish in Lake Michigan are laying eggs after being exposed to pharmaceuticals that make their way from toilets and through sewer systems that lack enough filtration to prevent the medication from affecting the waterways.
"In today's society there are so many medications," he said. It's affecting the fish and marine life."
Students have enlisted the help of the Antioch, Lindenhurst and Lake Villa police departments to provide a secure postal-style drop box at the stations where residents can drop off their pills, no questions asked. Hall said the pills are secured by the police department evidence officer and incinerated by a service provider. The incineration method, he said, is a "green" disposal because the intensity of the heat is so high it does not emit toxins into the air.
Students hope to have a drop box available at the Antioch police station in a couple of weeks and the club is also contacting local pharmacies about being part of the effort. They also mentioned that Highland Park High School started a program and collected about 250 pounds of medicines in a month.
For more information about the program, go to www.p2d2program.org.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
City to collect old meds Alaska P2D2
By Sarah Day | JUNEAU EMPIRE
Didn't use all of your prescription? Have old medicine sitting on a shelf? The City and Borough of Juneau will take them off your hands Saturday for proper disposal.
Mayor Bruce Botelho, who is also a former Alaska attorney general, said he'd been aware of a medication round-up going on in several states, including Utah and Vermont. He saw the successful endeavors by his former colleagues in bringing statewide collections and felt this was a worthwhile project.
One of Botelho's concerns is people having old medications sitting around. He said one of his own family members had a tendency to collect or save any prescription they'd ever had. Two issues stem from that - concern for self-prescribing and for theft.
"As I got into it, there are concerns on a statewide basis," he said, adding the primary concern is Oxycodone for law enforcement.
"There's a broader public health concern, not only making sure that prescription medications are away from small children, but also being able to dispose of any remaining items so they don't become abused somewhere else."
Another concern is disposal and people not wanting pharmaceuticals in public waterways.
"The typical methodology has been to simply be flushed down the toilet," Botelho said. "They end up being recycled into the system. We're creating an alternative for folks who want to be conscientious, who want to protect their households."
The answer, in Botelho's view, is to have periodic pharmaceutical round ups.
In order for this event to take place, special permission had to be granted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and disposal by incineration at the municipal waste facility had to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's standards.
The Juneau Police Department will have an uniformed officer at the Nugget Mall parking lot from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday with Botelho and City Manager Rod Swope and others to collect prescription and over-the-counter medications, pet meds, vitamins and supplements and homeopathic remedies in the form of tablets, pills or capsules. No containers or tubes, liquids, gels, patches, IV bags, blood or infectious waste, nebulizers, oxygen tanks, mercury thermometers or sharps will be accepted.
"We're trying to do it in a way that will be most convenient for the public," Botelho said. "We've been trying to get this thing going for some time. There have been delays in getting the DEA approval. We hoped to actually have done it earlier in the summer."
Botelho said he hopes holding the event in the Nugget Mall parking lot will make it a minimal inconvenience for people.
"I'm just hopeful that just the very act of doing this will create heightened public awareness," Botelho said. "I hope they re-examine when they are prescribed medications, use them in accordance with the instructions that come with them and recognize we all have a responsibility to not only correctly use medications, but dispose of them as well."
For more information on the national program go to www.p2d2prgoram.org
Contact Sarah Day at 523-2279 or at sarah.day@juneauempire.com.
Didn't use all of your prescription? Have old medicine sitting on a shelf? The City and Borough of Juneau will take them off your hands Saturday for proper disposal.
Mayor Bruce Botelho, who is also a former Alaska attorney general, said he'd been aware of a medication round-up going on in several states, including Utah and Vermont. He saw the successful endeavors by his former colleagues in bringing statewide collections and felt this was a worthwhile project.
One of Botelho's concerns is people having old medications sitting around. He said one of his own family members had a tendency to collect or save any prescription they'd ever had. Two issues stem from that - concern for self-prescribing and for theft.
"As I got into it, there are concerns on a statewide basis," he said, adding the primary concern is Oxycodone for law enforcement.
"There's a broader public health concern, not only making sure that prescription medications are away from small children, but also being able to dispose of any remaining items so they don't become abused somewhere else."
Another concern is disposal and people not wanting pharmaceuticals in public waterways.
"The typical methodology has been to simply be flushed down the toilet," Botelho said. "They end up being recycled into the system. We're creating an alternative for folks who want to be conscientious, who want to protect their households."
The answer, in Botelho's view, is to have periodic pharmaceutical round ups.
In order for this event to take place, special permission had to be granted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and disposal by incineration at the municipal waste facility had to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's standards.
The Juneau Police Department will have an uniformed officer at the Nugget Mall parking lot from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday with Botelho and City Manager Rod Swope and others to collect prescription and over-the-counter medications, pet meds, vitamins and supplements and homeopathic remedies in the form of tablets, pills or capsules. No containers or tubes, liquids, gels, patches, IV bags, blood or infectious waste, nebulizers, oxygen tanks, mercury thermometers or sharps will be accepted.
"We're trying to do it in a way that will be most convenient for the public," Botelho said. "We've been trying to get this thing going for some time. There have been delays in getting the DEA approval. We hoped to actually have done it earlier in the summer."
Botelho said he hopes holding the event in the Nugget Mall parking lot will make it a minimal inconvenience for people.
"I'm just hopeful that just the very act of doing this will create heightened public awareness," Botelho said. "I hope they re-examine when they are prescribed medications, use them in accordance with the instructions that come with them and recognize we all have a responsibility to not only correctly use medications, but dispose of them as well."
For more information on the national program go to www.p2d2prgoram.org
Contact Sarah Day at 523-2279 or at sarah.day@juneauempire.com.
Alaska P2D2 Program - Juneau, Alaska nets over 100 Lbs.
Sergeant Paul Hatch on the left, Mayor Bruce Botelho in the middle, City Manager Rod Swope on the right.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Juneau, Alaska P2D2 huge success.
Pictures and text to come....
Great job to Angela, Jim, Mayor Swope, Chief Browning, and the rest of the team. We are proud of you.
Paul Ritter
National Director
P2D2 Program
Great job to Angela, Jim, Mayor Swope, Chief Browning, and the rest of the team. We are proud of you.
Paul Ritter
National Director
P2D2 Program
S.C., Ga. communities plan efforts to help people dispose of unwanted, expired medication
Charlie Bauder, WNEG AM-630/Special to Independent Mail and Alison Newton, Independent Mail
Posted September 11, 2010 at 6:48 p.m.
Several communities in South Carolina and Georgia are planning to be part of efforts to help people safely dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medication.
In South Carolina, the city of Anderson Police Department and the Pickens County Sheriff's Office will serve as collection points on Sept. 25, which will be National Take-Back Day.
The day will provide an opportunity for the public to hand over expired, unwanted or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications, such as over-the-counter products, for destruction. The service will be free and anonymous for those who use it.
Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, according to the National Take-Back Day website. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are increasing, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets. Many people also do not know how to properly dispose of unused or unwanted medicine, often flushing it down the toilet or throwing it away - both potential safety and health hazards, according to the website.
In Georgia, Operation Pill Drop - the name for the state's efforts such as those for National Take-Back Day - is set to happen from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 25. The Hartwell Police Department and the Hart County Sheriff's Office in Hartwell will be drop-off points.
Operation Pill Drop cannot accept needles/sharps; syringes with needles; thermometers; intravenous bags; bloody or infectious waste; personal care products; empty containers; inhalers; medical equipment; and hydrogen peroxide.
In Stephens County, Ga., The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal, or P2D2, Program, celebrated the unveiling of its first drop-off point Thursday with a Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.
The Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition is coordinating the program locally.
In the county, the Toccoa Police Department will be a drop-off point on Sept. 25.
Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire said the department is proud to be involved.
“So many people have leftover medications and prescription drugs and do not know what to do with them, and we sure do not want those kinds of drugs flushed down into the water system because they end up in Lake Hartwell and everywhere else,” Whitmire said. “It's getting to be a problem all over the country.”
Danny Yearwood with the Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition said the group hopes to expand the program in the county in the future. Yearwood said he hopes everyone can become involved.
Posted September 11, 2010 at 6:48 p.m.
Several communities in South Carolina and Georgia are planning to be part of efforts to help people safely dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medication.
In South Carolina, the city of Anderson Police Department and the Pickens County Sheriff's Office will serve as collection points on Sept. 25, which will be National Take-Back Day.
The day will provide an opportunity for the public to hand over expired, unwanted or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications, such as over-the-counter products, for destruction. The service will be free and anonymous for those who use it.
Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, according to the National Take-Back Day website. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are increasing, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets. Many people also do not know how to properly dispose of unused or unwanted medicine, often flushing it down the toilet or throwing it away - both potential safety and health hazards, according to the website.
In Georgia, Operation Pill Drop - the name for the state's efforts such as those for National Take-Back Day - is set to happen from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 25. The Hartwell Police Department and the Hart County Sheriff's Office in Hartwell will be drop-off points.
Operation Pill Drop cannot accept needles/sharps; syringes with needles; thermometers; intravenous bags; bloody or infectious waste; personal care products; empty containers; inhalers; medical equipment; and hydrogen peroxide.
In Stephens County, Ga., The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal, or P2D2, Program, celebrated the unveiling of its first drop-off point Thursday with a Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.
The Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition is coordinating the program locally.
In the county, the Toccoa Police Department will be a drop-off point on Sept. 25.
Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire said the department is proud to be involved.
“So many people have leftover medications and prescription drugs and do not know what to do with them, and we sure do not want those kinds of drugs flushed down into the water system because they end up in Lake Hartwell and everywhere else,” Whitmire said. “It's getting to be a problem all over the country.”
Danny Yearwood with the Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition said the group hopes to expand the program in the county in the future. Yearwood said he hopes everyone can become involved.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
P2D2 Program Up and Running in Stephens Co.
Prescription Drug Disposal Program Up and Running in Stephens Co.
09/10/2010
A program is now underway to collect and properly dispose of prescription drugs.
The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal, or P2D2 Program, celebrated the unveiling of its first drop-off point in Stephens County Thursday with a Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.
The Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition is coordinating the program locally.
The first drop-off point is in the lobby of the Toccoa Police Department.
Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire said his department is proud to be involved.
“So many people have leftover medications and prescription drugs and do not know what to do with them and we sure do not want those kinds of drugs flushed down into the water system because they end up in Lake Hartwell and everywhere else,” said Whitmire. “It’s getting to be a problem all over the country.”
It is the brainchild of an Illinois schoolteacher who, along with his students, wanted to come up with a way to keep unused prescriptions out of the water supply and out of the wrong hands.
The program allows individuals to drop off unused prescription medications in the boxes for law enforcement to collect them and dispose of them properly.
Danny Yearwood with the Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition said they hope to grow the program in the future.
He said the goal is to mark a day on the calendar, perhaps this month, to have as an official drop-off day and heavily promote the program.
Yearwood said he hopes everyone can get involved.
“We hope all of the businesses and families on that day, if they have any unused prescription or over-the-counter medications, drop them off, so that we have them incinerated, so kids do not have the opportunity to pick them up,” said Yearwood.
For the time being, more drop-off points are planned in Stephens County. Yearwood said the next one is scheduled to be set up at the Stephens County Detention Center with the help of the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office.
09/10/2010
A program is now underway to collect and properly dispose of prescription drugs.
The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal, or P2D2 Program, celebrated the unveiling of its first drop-off point in Stephens County Thursday with a Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.
The Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition is coordinating the program locally.
The first drop-off point is in the lobby of the Toccoa Police Department.
Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire said his department is proud to be involved.
“So many people have leftover medications and prescription drugs and do not know what to do with them and we sure do not want those kinds of drugs flushed down into the water system because they end up in Lake Hartwell and everywhere else,” said Whitmire. “It’s getting to be a problem all over the country.”
It is the brainchild of an Illinois schoolteacher who, along with his students, wanted to come up with a way to keep unused prescriptions out of the water supply and out of the wrong hands.
The program allows individuals to drop off unused prescription medications in the boxes for law enforcement to collect them and dispose of them properly.
Danny Yearwood with the Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition said they hope to grow the program in the future.
He said the goal is to mark a day on the calendar, perhaps this month, to have as an official drop-off day and heavily promote the program.
Yearwood said he hopes everyone can get involved.
“We hope all of the businesses and families on that day, if they have any unused prescription or over-the-counter medications, drop them off, so that we have them incinerated, so kids do not have the opportunity to pick them up,” said Yearwood.
For the time being, more drop-off points are planned in Stephens County. Yearwood said the next one is scheduled to be set up at the Stephens County Detention Center with the help of the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office.
Alaska P2D2 Program Juneau
City to collect old medsBy Sarah Day | JUNEAU EMPIRE
Didn't use all of your prescription? Have old medicine sitting on a shelf? The City and Borough of Juneau will take them off your hands Saturday for proper disposal.
Mayor Bruce Botelho, who is also a former Alaska attorney general, said he'd been aware of a medication round-up going on in several states, including Utah and Vermont. He saw the successful endeavors by his former colleagues in bringing statewide collections and felt this was a worthwhile project.
One of Botelho's concerns is people having old medications sitting around. He said one of his own family members had a tendency to collect or save any prescription they'd ever had. Two issues stem from that - concern for self-prescribing and for theft.
"As I got into it, there are concerns on a statewide basis," he said, adding the primary concern is Oxycodone for law enforcement.
"There's a broader public health concern, not only making sure that prescription medications are away from small children, but also being able to dispose of any remaining items so they don't become abused somewhere else."
Another concern is disposal and people not wanting pharmaceuticals in public waterways.
"The typical methodology has been to simply be flushed down the toilet," Botelho said. "They end up being recycled into the system. We're creating an alternative for folks who want to be conscientious, who want to protect their households."
The answer, in Botelho's view, is to have periodic pharmaceutical round ups.
In order for this event to take place, special permission had to be granted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and disposal by incineration at the municipal waste facility had to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's standards.
The Juneau Police Department will have an uniformed officer at the Nugget Mall parking lot from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday with Botelho and City Manager Rod Swope and others to collect prescription and over-the-counter medications, pet meds, vitamins and supplements and homeopathic remedies in the form of tablets, pills or capsules. No containers or tubes, liquids, gels, patches, IV bags, blood or infectious waste, nebulizers, oxygen tanks, mercury thermometers or sharps will be accepted.
"We're trying to do it in a way that will be most convenient for the public," Botelho said. "We've been trying to get this thing going for some time. There have been delays in getting the DEA approval. We hoped to actually have done it earlier in the summer."
Botelho said he hopes holding the event in the Nugget Mall parking lot will make it a minimal inconvenience for people.
"I'm just hopeful that just the very act of doing this will create heightened public awareness," Botelho said. "I hope they re-examine when they are prescribed medications, use them in accordance with the instructions that come with them and recognize we all have a responsibility to not only correctly use medications, but dispose of them as well."
For more information on the national program go to www.p2d2prgoram.org
Contact Sarah Day at 523-2279 or at sarah.day@juneauempire.com.
Didn't use all of your prescription? Have old medicine sitting on a shelf? The City and Borough of Juneau will take them off your hands Saturday for proper disposal.
Mayor Bruce Botelho, who is also a former Alaska attorney general, said he'd been aware of a medication round-up going on in several states, including Utah and Vermont. He saw the successful endeavors by his former colleagues in bringing statewide collections and felt this was a worthwhile project.
One of Botelho's concerns is people having old medications sitting around. He said one of his own family members had a tendency to collect or save any prescription they'd ever had. Two issues stem from that - concern for self-prescribing and for theft.
"As I got into it, there are concerns on a statewide basis," he said, adding the primary concern is Oxycodone for law enforcement.
"There's a broader public health concern, not only making sure that prescription medications are away from small children, but also being able to dispose of any remaining items so they don't become abused somewhere else."
Another concern is disposal and people not wanting pharmaceuticals in public waterways.
"The typical methodology has been to simply be flushed down the toilet," Botelho said. "They end up being recycled into the system. We're creating an alternative for folks who want to be conscientious, who want to protect their households."
The answer, in Botelho's view, is to have periodic pharmaceutical round ups.
In order for this event to take place, special permission had to be granted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and disposal by incineration at the municipal waste facility had to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's standards.
The Juneau Police Department will have an uniformed officer at the Nugget Mall parking lot from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday with Botelho and City Manager Rod Swope and others to collect prescription and over-the-counter medications, pet meds, vitamins and supplements and homeopathic remedies in the form of tablets, pills or capsules. No containers or tubes, liquids, gels, patches, IV bags, blood or infectious waste, nebulizers, oxygen tanks, mercury thermometers or sharps will be accepted.
"We're trying to do it in a way that will be most convenient for the public," Botelho said. "We've been trying to get this thing going for some time. There have been delays in getting the DEA approval. We hoped to actually have done it earlier in the summer."
Botelho said he hopes holding the event in the Nugget Mall parking lot will make it a minimal inconvenience for people.
"I'm just hopeful that just the very act of doing this will create heightened public awareness," Botelho said. "I hope they re-examine when they are prescribed medications, use them in accordance with the instructions that come with them and recognize we all have a responsibility to not only correctly use medications, but dispose of them as well."
For more information on the national program go to www.p2d2prgoram.org
Contact Sarah Day at 523-2279 or at sarah.day@juneauempire.com.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
CAMA sponsors Operation Medicine Cabinet
SARAH SCHMIDT
sschmidt@parisbeacon.com
Not everyone finishes their cold medication when they recover from the sniffles, which is why the Coalition Against Methamphetamine Abuse is sponsoring a medicine give-back for Paris and Marshall.
Operation Medicine Cabinet, sponsored by CAMA and the CAMA Teens, began last year with the goal of getting people to drop off their old medication for proper disposal. The CAMA Teens will be running a car wash at the same time for those who drop off medication as an added benefit to hopefully get more people to drop off old medication, both prescription and over-the-counter.
“Last year, we picked up about 120 pounds of medicine,” said CAMA Director Kristen Chittick. “The purpose is twofold - there’s a 14 percent abuse rate in our area of Clark and Edgar Counties, according to a youth risk behavior survey we took. The kids told us that this was going on, so we decided to follow it up.”
Chittick said teens taking the survey indicated that one common source for substance abuse was the medicine cabinet. This, she said, is the preventative side of Operation Medicine Cabinet, as they work to dispose of medicines that might fall into the wrong hands. Chittick also said this drive worked to remind people of accessible these medications were for people living in the same household.
“This is also to remind people that drugs and medicine are easy to come by,” said Chittick. “It’s not from a drug dealer on the street. We’re trying to make it important for parents and grandparents (to dispose of old medication).”
The other purpose of the program is to keep people from disposing of old medicines in an unsafe manner. Chittick said that many put their old medicines in the trash or flush them, something that the P2D2 ecology program said can harm the environment. The P2D2 program is helping to support this year’s Operation Medicine Cabinet.
When people drop their old medicines off, Chittick said, there will be law enforcement on site, since some of the medicines dropped off are narcotics. No one will ask any questions about how they came by the medicines, she said, and no information or prescription bottles needed to be dropped off. The program could mark out any prescription bottle personal information with a Sharpie, Chittick said. Once the medicines are identified, tallied, and weighed, she said that law enforcement would transport the meds and have them incinerated.
“The goal is just to get rid of it,” said Chittick. “To sort the meds, we will have a pharmacist on both sites, partly because the Drug Enforcement Administration wants us to. They have their whole protocol, and they want to know what medicines are being brought back.”
Alongside Operation Medicine Cabinet, the CAMA Teens will be holding a car wash for those dropping off old medicine, with popcorn and lemonade available at the side while the teens work. Chittick noted that donations to their program would be accepted and appreciated.
Operation Medicine Cabinet will be held in two locations simultaneously on Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., at the Citizens’ National Bank East Branch in Paris, across from the McDonald’s, and at Lincoln Trails Ford on Route 1 in Marshall. For more information, Chittick said, people could contact her at 465-4118, ext. 267, or go to the Web site at www.camacoalition.org.
sschmidt@parisbeacon.com
Not everyone finishes their cold medication when they recover from the sniffles, which is why the Coalition Against Methamphetamine Abuse is sponsoring a medicine give-back for Paris and Marshall.
Operation Medicine Cabinet, sponsored by CAMA and the CAMA Teens, began last year with the goal of getting people to drop off their old medication for proper disposal. The CAMA Teens will be running a car wash at the same time for those who drop off medication as an added benefit to hopefully get more people to drop off old medication, both prescription and over-the-counter.
“Last year, we picked up about 120 pounds of medicine,” said CAMA Director Kristen Chittick. “The purpose is twofold - there’s a 14 percent abuse rate in our area of Clark and Edgar Counties, according to a youth risk behavior survey we took. The kids told us that this was going on, so we decided to follow it up.”
Chittick said teens taking the survey indicated that one common source for substance abuse was the medicine cabinet. This, she said, is the preventative side of Operation Medicine Cabinet, as they work to dispose of medicines that might fall into the wrong hands. Chittick also said this drive worked to remind people of accessible these medications were for people living in the same household.
“This is also to remind people that drugs and medicine are easy to come by,” said Chittick. “It’s not from a drug dealer on the street. We’re trying to make it important for parents and grandparents (to dispose of old medication).”
The other purpose of the program is to keep people from disposing of old medicines in an unsafe manner. Chittick said that many put their old medicines in the trash or flush them, something that the P2D2 ecology program said can harm the environment. The P2D2 program is helping to support this year’s Operation Medicine Cabinet.
When people drop their old medicines off, Chittick said, there will be law enforcement on site, since some of the medicines dropped off are narcotics. No one will ask any questions about how they came by the medicines, she said, and no information or prescription bottles needed to be dropped off. The program could mark out any prescription bottle personal information with a Sharpie, Chittick said. Once the medicines are identified, tallied, and weighed, she said that law enforcement would transport the meds and have them incinerated.
“The goal is just to get rid of it,” said Chittick. “To sort the meds, we will have a pharmacist on both sites, partly because the Drug Enforcement Administration wants us to. They have their whole protocol, and they want to know what medicines are being brought back.”
Alongside Operation Medicine Cabinet, the CAMA Teens will be holding a car wash for those dropping off old medicine, with popcorn and lemonade available at the side while the teens work. Chittick noted that donations to their program would be accepted and appreciated.
Operation Medicine Cabinet will be held in two locations simultaneously on Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., at the Citizens’ National Bank East Branch in Paris, across from the McDonald’s, and at Lincoln Trails Ford on Route 1 in Marshall. For more information, Chittick said, people could contact her at 465-4118, ext. 267, or go to the Web site at www.camacoalition.org.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
P2D2 Program expands to Bureau County Illinois
Prescription drug disposal comes to Bureau County
Friday, August, 27, 2010
By Matthew Baker
lasallereporter@newstrib.com
The Prescription Drug Disposal Program (P2D2) that has been giving La Salle County residents a safe and convenient way to dispose of unneeded medication for more than a year is now spreading to Bureau and Hennepin counties.
Drop boxes have been set up in locations around the counties where people can anonymously dispose of any medication. The program is intended to keep unwanted and expired medications out of landfills and the water supply, where aging chemicals could potentially cause environmental problems. There’s also a safety reason for keeping unnecessary drugs out of homes.
“We’re trying to keep the drugs out of kids’ hands,” said Dawn Connerton, grant coordinator for the Bureau-Putnam County Health Department’s Community Partners Against Substance Abuse. “So many children are going into medicine cabinets and taking prescription and over the counter drugs and using them.”
Once collected the Spring Valley and Princeton police departments will incinerate the disposed drugs.
The P2D2 drop boxes are available at the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office in Princeton; Princeton Police Department; Spring Valley Police Department; Fawcett’s Pharmacy, Kirby Henning Pharmacy and Nelson Drug Store in Princeton; Granville Drug Store; Johnson’s Pharmacy and Thompson’s Drug Store in Spring Valley; and Perry Memorial and St. Margaret’s hospitals.
The Bureau-Putnam P2D2 program currently doesn’t accept syringes, but some La Salle County locations do.
Friday, August, 27, 2010
By Matthew Baker
lasallereporter@newstrib.com
The Prescription Drug Disposal Program (P2D2) that has been giving La Salle County residents a safe and convenient way to dispose of unneeded medication for more than a year is now spreading to Bureau and Hennepin counties.
Drop boxes have been set up in locations around the counties where people can anonymously dispose of any medication. The program is intended to keep unwanted and expired medications out of landfills and the water supply, where aging chemicals could potentially cause environmental problems. There’s also a safety reason for keeping unnecessary drugs out of homes.
“We’re trying to keep the drugs out of kids’ hands,” said Dawn Connerton, grant coordinator for the Bureau-Putnam County Health Department’s Community Partners Against Substance Abuse. “So many children are going into medicine cabinets and taking prescription and over the counter drugs and using them.”
Once collected the Spring Valley and Princeton police departments will incinerate the disposed drugs.
The P2D2 drop boxes are available at the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office in Princeton; Princeton Police Department; Spring Valley Police Department; Fawcett’s Pharmacy, Kirby Henning Pharmacy and Nelson Drug Store in Princeton; Granville Drug Store; Johnson’s Pharmacy and Thompson’s Drug Store in Spring Valley; and Perry Memorial and St. Margaret’s hospitals.
The Bureau-Putnam P2D2 program currently doesn’t accept syringes, but some La Salle County locations do.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Georgia P2D2 Disposal Box
It is hard to believe that one box can change so many lives. Great Job Georgia P2D2Team and Stephens County Anti Drug Coalition.
Eureka High School Student Billboard
The P2D2 team at Eureka High School, with the help of Steve Crawford of Roanoak Pharmacy and the amazing people at the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, developed two awesome billboards to help get the word out to their community. Great Job by all.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Prescription drug disposal program expanding in Lake Co.
By Paul Biasco | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 8/10/2010 11:52 AM | Updated: 8/10/2010 2:43 PM
When Paul Ritter's wife asked him what she should do with unused pharmaceuticals in the family medicine cabinet about two and a half years ago, he decided to pose that same question to his students.
What started as a simple question from a high school ecology teacher has turned into the nation's largest prescription drug disposal program, and one that is coming to Antioch, Lindenhurst and Lake Villa.
Ritter started the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program to educate the public about the environmental dangers of improperly disposing drugs and teams up with local governments, pharmacies and schools to place the disposal boxes in communities.
"The long and the short is this program is very much an environmental program, a health program and a safety program," he said.
Locally, the move is headed by four students from Antioch and Lakes community high schools. Disposal boxes will be set up at the police stations in Antioch, Lindenhurst and Lake Villa as early as next month.
Ritter, who teaches at Pontiac Township High School, gives most of the credit to his students and students across the country who are starting local branches of the program.
"I love it when people say 'I can't believe students can get this kind of stuff done'," Ritter said.
The locations will accept any noncontrolled, nonhazardous medications, vitamins and supplements that will be collected and incinerated.
The program debuted in Lake County last summer, when students from Highland Park High School set up a disposal box at the Highland Park Police Department.
The main problem with improper disposal of drugs - down a drain or thrown away with the garbage - is they often find a way back into the water system, said Bob Schieck, president of the Antioch Lakes Organization, who has been working with Ritter.
"Our program started with the philosophy that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Ritter said, explaining it is cheaper to run a proper disposal program than it is to deal with the results later.
Ritter stressed the program's hope to keep prescription drugs out of the wrong hands. He said one of the most tragic stories he has heard was from the mother of a girl who took an unknown pill at a party that turned out to be a common antibiotic. The girl was allergic and died that night.
"It's so tragic that people are playing Russian roulette with these pills," he said.
The program has disposed more than 120,000 pounds of prescription drugs and has spread to 11 states, with five others starting programs soon.
Ritter said the program was originally named the Pontiac Prescription Drug Disposal Program, but spread so quickly within two weeks they needed to drop "Pontiac" from the name.
"At age 40 I'm sitting here as a high school teacher looking at one of the greatest things I've ever been a part of," Ritter said.
Published: 8/10/2010 11:52 AM | Updated: 8/10/2010 2:43 PM
When Paul Ritter's wife asked him what she should do with unused pharmaceuticals in the family medicine cabinet about two and a half years ago, he decided to pose that same question to his students.
What started as a simple question from a high school ecology teacher has turned into the nation's largest prescription drug disposal program, and one that is coming to Antioch, Lindenhurst and Lake Villa.
Ritter started the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program to educate the public about the environmental dangers of improperly disposing drugs and teams up with local governments, pharmacies and schools to place the disposal boxes in communities.
"The long and the short is this program is very much an environmental program, a health program and a safety program," he said.
Locally, the move is headed by four students from Antioch and Lakes community high schools. Disposal boxes will be set up at the police stations in Antioch, Lindenhurst and Lake Villa as early as next month.
Ritter, who teaches at Pontiac Township High School, gives most of the credit to his students and students across the country who are starting local branches of the program.
"I love it when people say 'I can't believe students can get this kind of stuff done'," Ritter said.
The locations will accept any noncontrolled, nonhazardous medications, vitamins and supplements that will be collected and incinerated.
The program debuted in Lake County last summer, when students from Highland Park High School set up a disposal box at the Highland Park Police Department.
The main problem with improper disposal of drugs - down a drain or thrown away with the garbage - is they often find a way back into the water system, said Bob Schieck, president of the Antioch Lakes Organization, who has been working with Ritter.
"Our program started with the philosophy that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Ritter said, explaining it is cheaper to run a proper disposal program than it is to deal with the results later.
Ritter stressed the program's hope to keep prescription drugs out of the wrong hands. He said one of the most tragic stories he has heard was from the mother of a girl who took an unknown pill at a party that turned out to be a common antibiotic. The girl was allergic and died that night.
"It's so tragic that people are playing Russian roulette with these pills," he said.
The program has disposed more than 120,000 pounds of prescription drugs and has spread to 11 states, with five others starting programs soon.
Ritter said the program was originally named the Pontiac Prescription Drug Disposal Program, but spread so quickly within two weeks they needed to drop "Pontiac" from the name.
"At age 40 I'm sitting here as a high school teacher looking at one of the greatest things I've ever been a part of," Ritter said.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Healthy Water, Healthy You—AARP Highlights Prescription Drug Disposal Program
As part of its Create The Good effort, AARP Illinois is helping to spread the word about a program that helps to keep your drinking water safe while also helping to prevent the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. Even better—the program could be operating in your community right now!
The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal program (P2D2) was launched as a student initiative of Pontiac Township High School in 2007. P2D2 is a collaborative effort between pharmacies, police agencies, city officials, service groups, and high school students. The purpose of the program is to educate the public about the harm done to the environment due to the current prescription and non-prescription drug disposal practices and to provide communities with an alternative disposal method that ensures the quality of our water for future generations. P2D2 also aims to educate people about how to dispose of prescription drugs safely in order to reduce the risk of prescription drug misuse and abuse.
Typically, people are instructed to dispose of pharmaceuticals by throwing them in the trash or flushing them down the drain - but water treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceutical chemicals that make their way into our water system. One study by the U.S Geological Survey found measurable amounts of pharmaceutical drugs in 80% of waterways. In addition, nearly 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs every year with over 8,500 deaths each year attributed to prescription drug abuse.
In 2009, the P2D2 program safely disposed of 95,000 pounds of pharmaceuticals. In communities that have the P2D2 program, individuals can drop off their unused, expired, or unwanted medications at various community drop-off sites. The drugs are then transported to an incineration site when they are disposed of properly. P2D2 is currently operational in over 100 communities in Illinois, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Pontiac Township High School and the P2D2 program have won numerous awards, including the Lt. Governor’s Environmental Hero Award, the Governor’s Green Youth Award, the National Go Green High School of the Year, and the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Award.
Earth Week and National Volunteer Week are April 18th-24th and AARP Illinois encourages you to help Create The Good and consider starting a P2D2 program in your own community!
For more information about the P2D2 program or to find a P2D2 site near you, visit www.p2d2program.org. You can also visit the site if you are interested in starting a P2D2 program in your community! For more information about Create The Good, visit createthegood.org.
The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal program (P2D2) was launched as a student initiative of Pontiac Township High School in 2007. P2D2 is a collaborative effort between pharmacies, police agencies, city officials, service groups, and high school students. The purpose of the program is to educate the public about the harm done to the environment due to the current prescription and non-prescription drug disposal practices and to provide communities with an alternative disposal method that ensures the quality of our water for future generations. P2D2 also aims to educate people about how to dispose of prescription drugs safely in order to reduce the risk of prescription drug misuse and abuse.
Typically, people are instructed to dispose of pharmaceuticals by throwing them in the trash or flushing them down the drain - but water treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceutical chemicals that make their way into our water system. One study by the U.S Geological Survey found measurable amounts of pharmaceutical drugs in 80% of waterways. In addition, nearly 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs every year with over 8,500 deaths each year attributed to prescription drug abuse.
In 2009, the P2D2 program safely disposed of 95,000 pounds of pharmaceuticals. In communities that have the P2D2 program, individuals can drop off their unused, expired, or unwanted medications at various community drop-off sites. The drugs are then transported to an incineration site when they are disposed of properly. P2D2 is currently operational in over 100 communities in Illinois, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Pontiac Township High School and the P2D2 program have won numerous awards, including the Lt. Governor’s Environmental Hero Award, the Governor’s Green Youth Award, the National Go Green High School of the Year, and the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Award.
Earth Week and National Volunteer Week are April 18th-24th and AARP Illinois encourages you to help Create The Good and consider starting a P2D2 program in your own community!
For more information about the P2D2 program or to find a P2D2 site near you, visit www.p2d2program.org. You can also visit the site if you are interested in starting a P2D2 program in your community! For more information about Create The Good, visit createthegood.org.
Stephens Co. Anti-Drug Coalition Starting Prescription Drug Disposal Program
07/27/2010
A conference designed to help start a new drug disposal program in Stephens County continues today.
The Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition is hosting the second day of the P2D2 Drug Disposal Conference at the Pointe Church in Eastanollee. The conference began Monday.
Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition Director Chuck Lewis said the conference is designed to serve as a kick-off to implementing the P2D2, or Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal, Program.
“We have Paul Ritter here from Pontiac, Illinois,” said Lewis. “He is a schoolteacher and he and his students started a prescription drug disposal program and they are in about 13 states and want to initiate it in Georgia through us, the Anti-Drug Coalition.”
Ritter said the program started with the simple question of asking where do unused prescription drugs go.
After finding out that trace amounts have gotten into water supplies in some areas of the country and that also some end up in the hands of those who misuse and abuse them, Ritter says he and his students got the program started.
According to Ritter, the program can work in a variety of ways.
“You can have a drug disposal box at the police department,” said Ritter. “You can also work with pharmacists, where the pharmacists collect non-controlled substances while police take back controlled substances. You can have a mail-back system too where you can mail it back through the Postal Service and we have boxes set up for that as well.”
Ritter said the program has multiple benefits.
“Water is our most precious resource and when we take care of it, it will be renewable forever, but when it dumped down the toilet or into the landfill, it can leach into our water supply,” he added. “Then, you have the issue of misuse and abuse of pharmaceuticals.”
According to organizers, Monday served as an introduction to the program, while today’s work at the conference will focus on implementation.
Ritter said he just wants to serve as a guide for getting it up and running.
“Stephens County has already taken the initiative,” he said. “They got it together before I got here, so while we are helping to spread the word, Stephens County is ready to rock and roll.”
Ritter said he is excited to be a part of the program in Stephens County.
So is Lewis. He said that this conference will hopefully serve as a kick-start to their efforts.
“We get enough feedback, then we will have brainstorming to implement it here and beyond,” said Lewis. “We want to implement it all throughout Georgia.”
Lewis said the Anti-Drug Coalition hopes to have the program up and running as soon as possible.
A conference designed to help start a new drug disposal program in Stephens County continues today.
The Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition is hosting the second day of the P2D2 Drug Disposal Conference at the Pointe Church in Eastanollee. The conference began Monday.
Stephens County Anti-Drug Coalition Director Chuck Lewis said the conference is designed to serve as a kick-off to implementing the P2D2, or Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal, Program.
“We have Paul Ritter here from Pontiac, Illinois,” said Lewis. “He is a schoolteacher and he and his students started a prescription drug disposal program and they are in about 13 states and want to initiate it in Georgia through us, the Anti-Drug Coalition.”
Ritter said the program started with the simple question of asking where do unused prescription drugs go.
After finding out that trace amounts have gotten into water supplies in some areas of the country and that also some end up in the hands of those who misuse and abuse them, Ritter says he and his students got the program started.
According to Ritter, the program can work in a variety of ways.
“You can have a drug disposal box at the police department,” said Ritter. “You can also work with pharmacists, where the pharmacists collect non-controlled substances while police take back controlled substances. You can have a mail-back system too where you can mail it back through the Postal Service and we have boxes set up for that as well.”
Ritter said the program has multiple benefits.
“Water is our most precious resource and when we take care of it, it will be renewable forever, but when it dumped down the toilet or into the landfill, it can leach into our water supply,” he added. “Then, you have the issue of misuse and abuse of pharmaceuticals.”
According to organizers, Monday served as an introduction to the program, while today’s work at the conference will focus on implementation.
Ritter said he just wants to serve as a guide for getting it up and running.
“Stephens County has already taken the initiative,” he said. “They got it together before I got here, so while we are helping to spread the word, Stephens County is ready to rock and roll.”
Ritter said he is excited to be a part of the program in Stephens County.
So is Lewis. He said that this conference will hopefully serve as a kick-start to their efforts.
“We get enough feedback, then we will have brainstorming to implement it here and beyond,” said Lewis. “We want to implement it all throughout Georgia.”
Lewis said the Anti-Drug Coalition hopes to have the program up and running as soon as possible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)