The Eau Claire City-County Health Department (ECCCHD) recently hosted a drug take-back event, allowing the community to safely and conveniently dispose of unused medications and sharps.
Drug take-back day was held on Saturday, April 25 at the Altoona Police Department, Fairchild Village Hall and the Eau Claire City Government Center.
These events are held annually, lining up with National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which is sponsored by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. That’s dangerous and often tragic,” the DEA’s website states. “That’s why it was great to see thousands of folks from across the country clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in — safely and anonymously — a record amount of prescription drugs.”
During drug take-back day, community members drive up to any drop-off site with unneeded medications and sharps, and items are collected directly from the car by a volunteer.
Holding onto unused medications poses many risks to households that people often do not realize, according to Sarah Dillivan-Pospisil, public health specialist for the ECCCHD.
“A lot of people think of it as harmless,” Dillivan-Pospisil said. “You have a medicine bottle that you’re currently not using that you might keep on your nightstand, medicine cabinet or in the bathroom and not even think twice about it.”
However, Dillivan-Pospisil said that keeping these prescriptions can be dangerous for many members of the household.
“[Medication] can get into the hands of someone else that it’s not prescribed to, and it could lead to an overdose,” Dillivan-Pospisil said. “But also, if the cap’s not on it tightly and loose pills fall to the ground, pets and young children can also get into that medication and can experience an accident.”
For those who were not able to attend the recent drug take-back day, year-round options are available, including one located on upper campus at Crest Wellness Center.
“We have 13 medication drop-off locations,” Dillivan-Pospisil said. “They are available in Altoona, Fall Creek and Fairchild, as well as Eau Claire and Augusta, so community members can access those boxes.”
Dillivan-Pospisil said they still offer these drug take-back days — despite having year-round drop-off boxes — as a reminder to the community to check expiration dates on their medications and make sure to properly dispose of unneeded prescriptions.
Holding drug take-back days is part of a larger mission within the health department to address substance abuse.
“Substance use has been identified as a top health priority through the community health assessment,” Dillivan-Pospisil said. “So one of the projects, for example, is to help participate in the national prescription drug take-back. To get education out to community members, we’re also working on reduction and what that looks like within the community.”
Installing a drop-off box at Crest Wellness Center last year was an important part of this mission and helped fill a gap in community need, according to Dillivan-Pospisil.
“We heard from students about the need to be able to dispose on campus in case they didn’t have access to transportation to get over to the government center,” Dillivan-Pospisil said. “We really are working to make places available throughout the entire community, so it is easier for community members to safely dispose of their medications.”
Garrison can be reached at [email protected].
