GET YOUR HOME HOLIDAY RXEADY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marcia Mueting, Nebraska Pharmacists Association, 402-420-1500; Joan McVoy, Nebraska Regional Poison Center, 800-222-1222; Jessica Wheeler, The Groundwater Foundation, 402-434-2740
LINCOLN, NE (November 21, 2016) – The holiday season is around the corner. With family coming into town make sure your medications are secure. Your medications can easily fall into the wrong hands resulting in drug misuse or accidental poisoning. According to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, “the vast majority of teens abusing prescription drugs are getting them from the medicine cabinets of friends, family and acquaintances.”1 Do your part to prevent drug abuse and accidental poisoning and take back your unused, expired, or leftover medications to one of the nearly 300 pharmacies across the state participating in the Nebraska MEDS initiative.
The Nebraska MEDS initiative educates Nebraskans about drug disposal and provides safe ways to dispose of medications to better protect public health and safeguard the environment. Pharmacies participating in the initiative can safely dispose of medications year-round, preventing them from falling into the wrong hands and keeping them out of our waterways. Go to www.nebraskameds.org or call the Nebraska Regional Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 to find a participating pharmacy near you.
Since August 2012, over 33,000 pounds of medication have been collected by Nebraska pharmacies for proper disposal. Be part of the solution and take back your leftovers before the holiday season.
The Nebraska MEDS initiative is being offered across the state of Nebraska with funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska MEDS is a coalition of state and community partners dedicated to educating patients about safe disposal of prescription and over-the-counter medications. This initiative allows residents to dispose of unused and leftover medications.
The Nebraska Medication Education on Disposal Strategies (MEDS) Coalition consists of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, the Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, The Nebraska Regional Poison Center, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, WasteCap Nebraska and The Groundwater Foundation.
