EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Now that students have returned to UW-Eau Claire, there is a new resource available on campus.
The UW-Eau Claire police department and the Eau Claire City-County Health Department worked together to install a drug take-back box on campus. It is located in the university’s police department lobby on Hilltop Circle. These boxes are a convenient way for people to safely get rid of expired or unused medications, including opioids. This drop-off location is 1 of 13 in Eau Claire County, and since 2012, the health department has collected 42,000 pounds of medication. Officials say leaving unused medications in your home increases the chance of children or pets finding them and accidentally swallowing them, which can lead to an overdose or serious health problems.
“We reached out to the city and County Health Department primarily at first, because they supplied us with Narcan,” Amanda Carrier, UWEC Police Chief, said. “We had seen the prescription medication boxes of other police departments throughout the county, and we had heard great things. So, we wanted to get a box on campus.”
“We heard from students on campus as well as staff and faculty, the need for additional locations, and we thought it would be a great partnership to bring it right on campus so that community members don’t have to worry about transportation or finding another location in the county,” Sarah Dillivan-Pospisil, a public health specialist with the health department, added.
The drug-disposal box is free and anonymous. On the box, there are instructions on how to dispose of the medication and what you cannot dispose of. The health department also wants to remind everyone to remove any personal information from the pill bottle or packaging before disposing of the medication in the box.
【全文结束】
