Timed with a national disposal day for old or unneeded medications and to combat a regionally growing epidemic, New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) and partners will hold a drug drop-off event Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Medical Mall, 2243 S 17th St. in Wilmington.
The idea in part is to keep unessential or expired pills, powders and other forms of medication out of circulation, as misuse has become one of eastern North Carolina’s most alarming epidemics.
At Saturday’s event, persons will be able to rid of medications—whether prescription, over-the-counter, vitamins or herbal supplements—in a “safe, convenient and environmentally sound manner,” according to a press release from NHRMC, which is partnering with law enforcement agencies, Cape Fear Community College, Safe Kids NC, and the Cape Fear Coalition for a Drug Free Tomorrow.
Prescription drug abuse and misuse is now one of North Carolina’s top health and safety concerns, according to a report issued last year from the N.C. Governor’s Crime Commission. “During the first six months of 2010, 61 percent of emergency department visits (in the state)–specifically for unintentional poisonings–were attributable to drugs,” the report said. “Of this number the majority were for poisonings caused by either Benziodiazepines or other opioids.”
Benziodiazepines, known conversationally as Benzos or downers, are widely prescribed depressants commonly used to treat insomnia or anxiety, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The Crime Commission report also notes teens are more likely to seeks highs from prescription drugs than any other source with the exception of marijunana. The number of teens abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs is bigger than the combined number of teens using cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
All medications brought to Saturday’s disposal event should be in their original containers so staffers can identify them, the press release says.
Law enforcement agencies will also be on hand to accept controlled substances.
Disposing of medications properly “prevents them from falling into the wrong hands and being distributed illegally or being used by someone who is abusing prescription medication,” says NHRMC. “Misuse of prescription drugs has become a serious problem throughout the region and is now the second leading cause of death in eastern North Carolina.”
“In addition, improper disposal of old medications can have an adverse (effect) on the environment by finding their way into public water systems,” NHRMC’s release said.
But programs like the one scheduled for Saturday are making a difference, said Kathy Rawlings, a registered nurse and educator at NHRMC. “Since we began holding these events,” she explained, “we have collected thousands of pieces of unneeded medications and kept them from becoming hazards to our community and our environment.”
Saturday’s event at the Medical Mall, located next to NHRMC’s main campus, aligns with the DEA’s fifth annual National Take-Back Day. In a news release about the event, Thomas G. Walker, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, called prescription drug abuse “a national scourge and I am delighted to partner in this event that will safely remove unneeded prescription medication that, when abused, are so dangerous to consume.”
In the past four National Take-Back Days, the DEA and its law enforcement partners removed more than 1.5 million pounds of medication from circulation, according to the agency.
For information about that event and drop-off locations, persons may visit https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov or call (800) 882-9539.
More information about Saturday’s NHRMC event is available through Rawlings at (910) 815-5152 or [email protected].
