Kelly chats with one of many who got rid of
unwanted meds on Saturday
MID-HUDSON – Police departments, hospitals and other locations accepted unwanted prescription drugs on Saturday as National Take Back day was held.
Thousands of unwanted medications were disposed of safely around the Mid-Hudson Valley during the event.
At one location, Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, volunteers collected those unwanted pharmaceuticals.
The event was sponsored by the Communities that Care Coalition in conjunction with the Putnam Health Department, Sheriff’s Department and Putnam Hospital Center.
A recent national survey related to drug use and health indicated prescription medicines were the “most abused drugs with 75 percent of those abusing pain relievers advising they obtained them from family and friends.”
Bruce Kelly of the Communities that Care Coalition said 300 pounds of unwanted prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines were turned over to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency; 10 percent were controlled substances. Kelly also noted that many residents are now taking advantage of town-wide disposal units set up at police stations and town and village halls across the county.
Putnam County’s Acting Commissioner of Health Dr. Michael Nesheiwat reminded the public that “proper disposal not only removed the drugs from the home but also kept the unwanted medications out of the waste and water streams since many people flush their outdated medications down the toilet.”
