Lenawee County, MI – ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital was the site for a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.
The hospital worked together with community partners, Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Lenawee County Sheriff Department, 103.9fm WLEN, and Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority. The event was by far the most successful with regards to amounts of drugs collected since our inception of the program in 2013. They had almost 300 participants surrender medications this year for a total of almost 500 pounds.
Collected from the event were:
- More than 280 pounds of tablet and capsules
- 181 pounds of bottled medicinal liquids and topical products
- 10 pounds of inhalers
- 9 38-gallon container filled with sharps
Specifically they collected: More than 200 prescriptions of controlled substances were collected, including opioids, benzodiazepines, and miscellaneous agents.
Unused medications in homes create a public health and safety concern, because they can be accidentally ingested, stolen, misused, and abused. In Lenawee County, 52% of people who misuse opioids get them from family or friends. In Michigan, legislature was passed to require prescribers to register with the Michigan Automated Prescription System and to review a report from this software tool prior to prescribing a Schedule 2-5 controlled substance (exceeding a 3 day supply). This legislature combined with efforts from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service’s Opioid Task Force are working to decrease the number of opioid related events in Michigan.
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* Information and photos submitted by: Jennifer Foss, Pharm.D., Director of Pharmacy, ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital*