Livingston County Community Alliance teams with St. Joseph Mercy Livingston to provide prescription medication disposal at hospital site

Contact:

Laura Blodgett

734-712-4536

Laura.Blodgett@stjoeshealth.org

February 1, 2018

As part of the continuing effort to address the problems resulting from access to prescription drugs, The Livingston County Community Alliance (LCCA) is collaborating with St. Joseph Mercy Livingston to place a Big Red Barrel at the Howell hospital location. The Big Red Barrel is located inside the Emergency Room entrance, making it the first collection unit on a hospital site in Livingston County. This new location offers an additional opportunity for community members to properly dispose of unused medication into this secured and monitored barrel available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The LCCA is a county-wide coalition to reduce and prevent youth substance use, created the Big Red Barrel program to provide access to permanent prescription drug collection units, allowing community members a way to safely, securely, and anonymously dispose of unused or unwanted medication.

Since the program’s inception in 2010, more than 10,000 pounds, or five tons of medications have been collected. In the past, Big Red Barrels could only be found at police departments, but recent changes in legislation now allow collection units to be placed in medical facilities.

Earlier this year, the LCCA was awarded a Drug Free Communities grant through federal funding seeking to prevent and reduce substance use among youth and address community factors that increase the risk of substance use in adulthood. In alignment with its Community Health Needs Assessment strategic priority to address substance use disorder, St. Joseph Mercy Livingston provided $20,000 in matching support for this funding opportunity, and sees the Big Red Barrel as an additional community resource in the efforts to mitigate substance abuse in the youth and adults of Livingston County.

According to the Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth, 17.5 percent of 9 and 11 grade students in Livingston County report taking a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them within the past 30 days. One of the easiest places for youth to access these drugs is in their home medicine cabinet. “We very pleased that Livingston County is able to have a healthcare leader like St. Joe's partner with us, as to work together to make our community a safer place by providing an opportunity for proper medication disposal,” said LCCA Coordinator Megan Palmer. For more information please contact the LCCA at Livingston.Community.Alliance@gmail.com

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