All news
Bay Area Alliance Prescription Drug Advisory Committee Takes It Back
For Immediate Release:
For more information, please contact:
Amanda McLauchlin – Coalition Manager
281-284-0370 office 409-351-4834 cell
PRESS RELEASE - Letterhead
Bay Area Alliance Prescription Drug Advisory Committee Takes It Back
(League City, TX) – Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 10am to 2pm, the Prescription Drug Advisory Committee of the Bay Area Alliance will be set up at UTMB Specialty Care Center at Victory Lakes (located at 2240 Gulf Freeway South in League City, Texas) taking back expired or unneeded prescription and non-prescription medications. This is the group’s 4th such event to decrease prescription drug abuse and is in coordination with a national effort through the Drug Enforcement Agency to remove dangerous controlled and commonly misused substances from community medicine cabinets.
Prescription drug abuse is on the rise throughout the United States and has become especially troublesome in the greater Houston area. “This initiative is so important because it keeps these potentially dangerous medications out of the reach of children,” said Jon D. Thompson, Director of the Southeast Texas Poison Center. “It prevents abuse, misuse, or accidental poisonings by youth as well as adults.”
Drugs exceeded motor vehicle accidents as a cause of death in 2009, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Much of this rise has been attributed to the increase of prescription drug abuse. According to Bay Area Alliance Coalition Manager, Amanda McLauchlin, “This effort encourages everyone to do their part in emptying these potentially hazardous drugs from their medicine cabinets.”
Anyone interested in dropping off medications is encouraged to leave medication in the original containers with the patient’s name marked out. Participants will just “drive through” the drop-off site at the UTMB Victory Lakes facility where volunteers (including law enforcement and pharmacy personnel) will take medications for proper and secure disposal. Please note that this entire process is completely anonymous and no identifying information other than zip code will be requested or noted.
The Prescription Drug Advisory Committee consists of members from organizations such as the Southeast Texas Poison Center, Texas Pharmacy Board, Texas Attorney Generals’ Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Friendswood Police Department, and Walgreens Pharmacy. For more information, please contact the Bay Area Alliance for Youth and Families at 281-284-0370.
The Committee is especially thankful for the UTMB Specialty Care Center at Victory Lake, located at 2240 Gulf Freeway South in League City, Texas, for their support of this initiative.