The following is a republished press release from a community organization and not an article written by The Cortland Voice … to submit a community announcement, press release or information about an upcoming event, email Peter Blanchard at [email protected].
CORTLAND, NY. – The Cortland Rx Task Force will be sponsoring a drive-through medication collection event on Saturday, April 30.
The collection event will be held at two convenient locations- from 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Cortlandville Fire Station and from 9:00 am to noon at the Cincinnatus Fire Station.
Members of the community can easily drop off unused, expired, and unwanted medications free of charge, safely and securely. Collection events help people properly dispose of medications instead of flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away- both potential safety and health hazards.
Accepted medications include prescription drugs (including controlled substances), over-the-counter medications, any pills, powders, liquids, inhalers, and pet medication. All medications must be in a sealed container to avoid spillage. Items not accepted include household hazardous waste, needles and mercury products.
[do_widget id= text-6 ]
The two primary goals of the project are reducing availability and accessibility of dangerous controlled substances and safely securing unused medication so it does not enter our precious water supply.
Medications stored at home are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States continue to increase at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses when prescriptions are not stored securely.
Studies show that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
Since the program was introduced five years ago, Cortland County residents have safely disposed of more than 10,000 pounds of unused, expired and unwanted medications helping to reduce the risk to the members of our community.
The collection events are sponsored by a group of community partners that make up the Rx Task Force including Cortland Area Communities That Care Coalition (CACTC), Cortland Prevention Resources, Cortland County Sheriff’s Department, Drug Task Force & Regional Training Center, Cortlandville and Cincinnatus Fire Departments, Family Counseling Services, Cortland County District Attorney, and the Cortland Area Office of the Aging and RSVP Program. The CACTC Environmental Strategies Committee provides oversight, schedules collection events and verifies that the medications have been destroyed without risk to people or the environment.
Family Counseling Services is a non-profit organization serving both Cortland and Madison Counties. FCS was established in 1970 as a volunteer family counseling service based in Cortland, NY. It has since evolved into a professional organization that offers mental health, chemical dependency, and school-based counseling, as well as prevention services through its prevention division, Cortland Prevention Resources.
For additional resources visit www.cortlandprevention.org or Cortland Area Communities That Care Coalition at www.cortlandareactc.org.
[do_widget id= text-7 ]
