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On the 2009 Cortland Area Communities That Care (CACTC) Youth Survey, 17% of Cortland County 10th graders surveyed reported using prescription pain relievers without a doctor’s order. To deal effectively with local prescription drug abuse, the Prescription Medication Task Force in Cortland County hosts medication collection events.The Medication Task Force will host a second Prescription/Over the Counter Medication Collection Event on Saturday September 25th. Cortland collection events are the result of a unique collaboration among Seven Valleys Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Cortland Area Communities That Care Coalition, the Cortland County Sheriff’s Department, Family Health Network, Cortland County Area Agency on Aging, Seven Valleys Health Coalition, City of Cortland Wastewater Treatment Facility & Water Department, Cortlandville Fire Department, City of Cortland Youth Bureau, Town of Cortlandville, Family Counseling Services, Cortland Regional Medical Center and the Cortland Regional Training Center. Each of these organizations has a vested interest in reducing accessibility to prescription and over-the-counter medications as one important way to decrease substance abuse in our community. There are many stakeholders for this project because it impacts many individuals on a variety of levels. The Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends taking advantage of community medication collection events to dispose of expired, unused and unwanted medications. It is not advisable to flush these items or throw them in the garbage. The first collection event sponsored by the Medication Task Force took place in May 2010. It was overwhelmingly successful. More than 200 vehicles passed through the collection gates and dropped off 626 pounds of prescription medication in just four hours. If you have controlled substances, pills, powders, epi-pens, inhalers, over-the-counter medications, or pet medications you want to discard, you can bring them to the free, secure Medication Collection Event on September 25th .between 9 AM and 1 PM in the parking lot of the Cortlandville Fire Department. The Collection Event can NOT take mercury products, sharps, or other household hazards. For additional information contact Kimberly McRae Friedman at 7VCASA, 756-8970 ext. 1 or
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. Kimberly McRae Friedman is the Associate Director of 7VCASA and an Advisory member of CACTC.
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