Safely dispose of prescription drugs at the Aberdeen Police station April 30
Dan Hammock
The Harbor Strong Coalition will host a prescription drug take-back event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30 at the Aberdeen Police Department at 210 E. Market St. in Aberdeen.
At the event, the public can dispose of unused or expired prescription medication in a safe and easy way. Prescription and over-the-counter medications will be accepted. Medications can remain in their original containers and labels do not need to be removed. Medications not in their original containers will be accepted too.
The take-back event supports the “Starts with One” campaign from the Washington State Health Care Authority. The Starts with One campaign informs and educates young adults, their parents, and older adults about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe storage and disposal of prescription opioids.
According to the campaign website, “75 percent of opioid misuse starts with people using medication that wasn’t prescribed for them – usually taken from a friend or family member.” Simple steps, like safely disposing of medications, can stop them from being misused.
Participating in these take-back events is one thing that individuals can do to help address the opioid epidemic and protect their loved ones. The Harbor Strong Coalition and Aberdeen Police Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS) will be passing out free medication lock boxes at this event.
Check out Harbor Strong’s Drug Take-Back Facebook event page for more information: https://fb.me/e/1qIB5KLhL
About the Harbor Strong Coalition:
The Harbor Strong Coalition’s mission is to prevent and reduce substance abuse and related problems to youth, adults and families by providing leadership, education and community partnerships promoting a healthy, positive lifestyle.
The Harbor Strong Coalition was founded in May 2018 as a result of a grant with the Washington State DBHR (Behavioral Health and Recovery) with a focus on opioid prevention efforts in the Aberdeen area. Our community realized the benefits of working together to address the specific problem of underage substance use and is passionate about student achievement.
Members and partners include Grays Harbor County Public Health, Aberdeen School District, Capital Region ESD 113, as well as members from 12 different community sectors including media, parents, law enforcement, health care, tribal, civic groups, youth serving organizations, faith-based organizations, local government, local business community, and youth.
We believe that the key to prevention is truly being able to tap into the resources of human capital that exist in our community. Every individual has the ability to impact protective factors – it is our job to help them realize that potential. Although change does not happen as fast as we would like it to, we continue to be encouraged by the fact that the needle is moving in a positive direction.
Like us on Facebook: Harbor Strong Coalition
For more information about the HCA Starts with One campaign, visit www.getthefactsrx.com.
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