In December of 2009, Upper Bucks Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Chairperson, I attended a workshop in Washington, DC about Prescription Medication Take Back Programs. I learned that there is an epidemic in the U.S. due to the illegal use of prescription drugs. This evidences itself when people illegally take or sell prescription drugs belonging to another person. Nationwide, about 70 percent of this illegal drug use stems from people taking drugs from the medicine cabinets of others. Locally, in the HC/HY student survey, we found that 8.9% of the 8th, 10th and 12th graders in Upper Bucks County admitted that they had illegally used prescription drugs within 30 days of the survey. The most harmful of these both nationally and locally are pain killers.
The UBHCHY coalition decided to start a prescription Drug Take Back program with the main idea being to get these medications out of medicine cabinets and off the streets. An additional concern is that many people still believe that the appropriate way to dispose of unused or outdated medications is to flush them down the drain. Chemicals from these drugs are showing up more and more in our drinking water. Although the water is treated, it does not remove the chemicals from many of these drugs. Community Mobilizer, Lee Rush and I presented this concern and the Take Back idea to Bucks Promise, which is a group of Coalitions throughout Bucks County. Bucks Promise immediately agreed that there is a need to do something about this issue. A group of coalition leaders, Detective Chris McAteer from the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office and representatives from Bucks County Health Care Agencies began to work closely together to bring this about. We appreciate the local pharmacies with their help in distributing flyers and pamphlets about the events we have held. Also, we would like to that District Attorney, David Heckler for his support in this effort. He was featured in a news segment on Comcast Television where he talked about this countywide collaboration that has been a huge success.
-Ray Fox, UBHCHY Chair
