DUBOIS – The DuBois City police has announced the department received a grant from CVS/Pharmacy to install a drug collection unit.
The new unit will be located inside the lobby of the police department. It will provide residents with a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired medication, including controlled substances.
According to police, the new unit is intended to reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in residents’ homes. It is also intended to decrease prescription drug abuse, which has increased in recent years, especially among teens.
More than 70 percent of teens say that it’s easy to get prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets, reported a 2014 Partnership for Drug-Free Kids study. The new unit will also help DuBois prevent the contamination of local landfills and water supplies from unused medication.
“Safely disposing of unused medication is critical to protecting our children and our environment,” said Chief Ronald LaRotonda. “DuBois City police are proud to partner with CVS/Pharmacy and we thank them for their commitment to help residents reduce the amount of unused medicine in our community.”
The new Drug Collection Unit represents one of 1,000 units CVS/Pharmacy and The Medicine Abuse Project (MAP), a five-year initiative of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, are providing across the country. It’s the largest retail pharmacy effort of its kind to date and supports MAP’s goal to prevent a half-million teens from abusing prescription medications by 2017. CVS/Pharmacy is the sole retail pharmacy sponsor of the unit donation program, which builds upon its Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program.
“CVS/Pharmacy is dedicated to collaborating with organizations, such as the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and local law enforcement, to prevent the abuse of unwanted and expired medication,” said Josh Flum, senior vice president of retail pharmacy at CVS Health.
“The installation of drug collection receptacles is a part of our ongoing commitment to battle prescription drug abuse in the United States and to help people in the communities we serve on their path to better health.”
CVS/Pharmacy also assists law enforcement by supporting local drug take back events and promoting local drug disposal collection sites. It has conducted drug collection campaigns utilizing their retail locations, including several National Drug Take Back Day events.
Law enforcement agencies, which operate their own ongoing collection site programs, can also arrange to have the address and hours of their operation posted in local CVS/Pharmacy stores.
DuBois City’s new drug collection unit site is open to the public from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday or 24-hours-a-day by calling 1-814-765-1533. Drugs can be dropped off without any questions being asked of the individuals disposing of them.
DuBois residents and CVS/Pharmacy customers can inquire about the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program by calling 1-866-559-8830 or online at www.cvs.com/safercommunities.