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Drug take back slated in county

By Staff | Apr 27, 2011

National Prescription ‘Drug Take Back Days’ in Tyler County will be observed this coming weekend at four convenient locations.

Communities across the State of West Virginia will be participating in the program. The four local sites operating for area residents to safely dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs are as follows:

Friday, April 29 – Alma Grange – 9 a.m. to noon; Middlebourne Fire Department: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, April 30 – Paden City Health Dept. 9 a.m. – noon; Sistersville Fire Department 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Days is sponsored by Family Resource Network, Tyler County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration and funded by the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund, Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley and WV BHHF.

Each day approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get hich for the first time, according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. In West Virginia, over 64% of peoplewho abuse prescriptiondrugs get them forFREE from friends and relatives.

The Tyler County Prevention Partnership has once again teamed up with Tyler County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)as part of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Days, providing a venue for people who would like to dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs.

Citizens can help reduce prescription drug abuse and theft in the community by cleaning out medicine cabinets and turning excess medicine over to the Tyler County Sheriff’s Department and the DEA for proper destruction.

“Many people don’t know how to properly dispose of their unwanted prescriptions,” explained Russell Evans, coordinator for this year’s program. “Flushing medicines down the toilet or throwing them away can cause potential health and safety hazards.”

The program is anonymous and all efforts will be made to protect the identity of individuals disposing of unwanted prescriptions.

All solid dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers may be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain in the original container. Intravenous solutions, injected medications and syringes will not be accepted due to potential hazards posed by blood-borne pathogens.

“We would like to ask the community to bring their prescription bottles in when disposing of medications,” requested Katrina Byers, Family Resource Network Director. “We will be attempting to track what type of drugs are being disposed of. We will return the bottles,” she noted, explaining the information is only about the contents. “We aren’t interested in whose name is on the bottle. We only want the data about the type of medication.”

Farmily Resource Network would like to thank the community for its participation in the National Drug Take-Back Program. “We have had outstanding support in Tyler County,” said Evans. “We want to thank everyone for their help.”

For more information about the program, contact Family Resource Network at 304-758-5046, or Brandi Fletcher or Toni VanCamp at 304-758-5046.