FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 11, 2014

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Dannielle Meyer, Coalition Coordinator

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Guest Editorial: Prescription for a safe holiday season

Written by: Dannielle Meyer, Brazoria County Community Coalition Coordinator, BACODA

As you prepare for your holiday celebrations, there is so much to do. As you make your lists, and check them twice, there’s one important detail that you may not think of addressing: Where are you keeping your medicine?

It’s certainly not the first thing you may think of while cooking with family or trimming the tree, but your holiday cheer could be ruined if you need to rush a child to the ER after they’ve eaten Grandma’s medicine. And remember those painkillers you got after your root canal last year? Those might be a source of temptation for a curious teenager or someone struggling with an addiction. More than 50% of prescription drug abusers got the drugs from family or friends for free, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Keep your family safe this holiday season with these simple tips:

1. Remove your medications from the medicine cabinet and lock them out of sight in a secure location.
2. While you are moving your medications, do an inventory and check for prescriptions that have expired or are no longer needed.  These medications can be safely disposed of through the Brazoria County Prescription Drug Return Program. Prescription Drug Drop Boxes are available at the Police Departments in Alvin, Angleton, Clute, Freeport, Lake Jackson, and Sweeny. The Drop Boxes are located in the lobby. All pills and patches are accepted. This service is provided to the community for free and no questions asked.
3. Inform your guests about the need for storing medicine safely with children around and offer a secure, out of reach place to keep them during their stay.
4. Just in case, have the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ number programmed into your phone, 1-800-222-1222.

This year, Brazoria County has made great strides in preventing prescription drug abuse. Six permanent prescription drug drop boxes are in place across the county, and since February, 1,017.8 pounds of drugs have been collected. On behalf of the Brazoria County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force, we thank you for protecting our youth, our community, and our environment by ridding your homes of unneeded medications.

Lake Jackson Chief of Police Rick Park emphasized the importance of the Drop Boxes, saying, “The Lake Jackson Police Department Prescription Drop Box provides our citizens with a safe means to dispose of medications which might otherwise find their way into the hands of our children, or end up in our wastewater systems or landfills. The simple existence of a “no questions asked” location for disposal of these potentially dangerous substances has been quite successful in encouraging the public to partner with us in making a safer environment for everyone. It’s a win-win situation for our agency and the community we serve.”

For more information on prescription drug disposal or preventing prescription drug abuse, contact Brazoria County Community Coalition at coalitions@bacoda.org or visit www.bacoda.org.