NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: LAURA KRAMER KUNS (440) 350-2543
November 21, 2011 LAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICT
LAKE COUNTY ADDS TWO NEW LOCATIONS FOR PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL
Due to the success of the Lake County Pharmaceutical Drug Collection and Disposal Program, Lake County General Health District (LCGHD) is pleased to announce two new locations at the Eastlake Police Department and Willoughby Police Department. Lake County residents now have a choice of seven locations to choose from to take their unwanted and expired prescription and non-prescription medications seven days a week:
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Mentor Police Department
104 East Erie Street 8500 Civic Center Boulevard
Painesville, Ohio 44077 Mentor, Ohio 44060
Willoughby Hills Police Department Madison Township Police Department
35405 Chardon Road 2065 Hubbard Road
Willoughby Hills, Ohio 44094 Madison, Ohio 44057
Willoughby Police Department Eastlake Police Department
36700 Euclid Ave. 35150 Lakeshore Blvd.
Willoughby, Ohio 44094 Eastlake, Ohio 44095
Lakeland Community College Police Department
7700 Clocktower Drive, Building A, lower level
Kirtland, Ohio 44094
Each of these law enforcement departments have a collection bin in the reception area where Lake County residents can bring their unwanted and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications, including cold and flu medications, cough syrups, pain relievers, vitamins, creams, pills and pet medications. Residents should remove or black out the personal information on pharmacy labels and leave the medications in the original package or container. Residents should be advised that absolutely no needles or syringes are permitted in these bins.
The convenient disposal hours for all the locations are:
Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. There are no Sunday hours at Lakeland Community College Police Department.
The collection and disposal program was launched in Lake County on December 7, 2010. Since that time over 2000 pounds of pharmaceutical waste has been collected and incinerated. The public has been both supportive and appreciative of the program based on the survey responses received during the first 11 months of the program. This program enables Lake County residents to use the collection bins for two very important reasons: 1) environmental concerns and 2) public safety. Prescription and non-prescription medications are being found in our rivers, streams and ground water. They are considered to be “emerging contaminants of concern” to our waters, partly due to harmful effects that their current low concentrations are already having on the fish population. Our existing wastewater treatment plants and septic systems are not designed to remove these contaminants. Residents are helping to reduce the amount of these contaminants in our environment by using the collection bins instead of flushing unwanted drugs down the toilet or putting them in the trash.
According to statistics from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), prescription pain relievers are the new drug of choice of new drug users. Partnering with law enforcement in this program allows residents to remove prescription pain killers, such as Percocet, Vicodin and Oxycontin, from their medicine cabinet and properly dispose of them. This, in turn, will help to reduce the potential of drug abuse and accidental drug misuse.
Lake County Narcotics Agency is supporting the law enforcement departments by serving as the central collection and storage facility and handles the transport and destruction of the collected medications. This drug collection and disposal program was initially made possible in part by a grant from the Lake Erie Protection Fund through the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. The monies for the Lake Erie Protection Fund are supported by the citizens of Ohio through their purchase of the Lake Erie License Plate. Additional grant monies were contributed to this project by the Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board and enabled the addition of the two new locations.
For more information on the Lake County Pharmaceutical Drug Collection and Disposal Program, contact Laura Kuns at (440) 350-2543 or visit LCGHD’s website at www.lcghd.org.
###