{"id":33783,"date":"2017-02-13T08:29:59","date_gmt":"2017-02-13T13:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=33783"},"modified":"2017-02-13T08:31:33","modified_gmt":"2017-02-13T13:31:33","slug":"33783","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=33783","title":{"rendered":"Officials: 8,000 lbs of prescription drugs collected in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

At one of the collection boxes, from left to right: Chief John Narcise, Willistown Supervisor Bill Shoemaker, Paoli Hospital President Jim Paradis, District Attorney Tom Hogan, Willistown Supervisor Bob Lange, and Willistown Township Manager Dave Burman.<\/p><\/div>\n

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced that more than\u00a08,000 pounds of prescription drugs were collected in 2016 through the Chester County drug disposal box program. The program places secure drop boxes in locations around Chester County so that citizens can safely dispose of prescription medications.<\/p>\n

The drug disposal box program was started in 2014 by the Chester County District Attorney\u2019s Office, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, and a few local police departments. The program then expanded dramatically, and now includes cooperation between many police departments, Paoli Hospital, the Chester County Health Department, Pennsylvania American Water, the Chester County Commissioners, the National Guard, and other volunteers.<\/p>\n

The yearly totals for the amount of drugs collected in Chester County through the drug disposal box program are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

2014<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1392.8 lbs.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

2015<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2967.4 lbs.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

2016<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

8073.6 lbs.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u201cThe drug disposal box program continues\u00a0 <\/span>to be a success in Chester County,” Hogan said in a statement. “The safe disposal of prescription medication, especially powerful opioids, keeps these drugs from getting into the wrong\u00a0 hands.<\/p>\n

We are protecting both our children and our environment, two goals everybody supports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paoli Hospital, part of Main Line Health, recently installed a prescription drug drop box to allow for the safe and anonymous disposal of unneeded, unwanted, or expired medications. The drop box is located in the Paoli Hospital valet lobby. It is monitored by Paoli Hospital security staff and emptied by the Willistown Township Police Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe <\/span>have come a long way from flushing unwanted pills down the drain into the water system,” said Jim Paradis, President of Paoli Hospital. “Installing this box won\u2019t completely solve this problem, but it\u2019s one more step in the right direction, and it gives us an opportunity to continue our efforts to combat the opioid crisis in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChester County\u2019s prescription drug disposal boxes are an effective, critical component in working to prevent addiction,\u201d said Rep. Ryan Costello (PA-06), a member of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe\u00a0 <\/span>strong leadership from the District Attorney\u2019s Office and partnering agencies and organizations, combined with state and federal assistance, is making a positive impact in tackling the opioid epidemic. We must continue to focus on\u00a0 <\/span>this epidemic because there is more work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The drug disposal boxes work as follows. Citizens can drop off prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications in the drug drop boxes. The boxes are\u00a0 <\/span>secure boxes located in police stations or other safe areas. The drop-offs are anonymous. The medication periodically is picked up by members of the Chester County Detectives and disposed of safely by the National Guard.<\/p>\n

Chief Brenda Bernot of the Westtown\/East Goshen Police Department, one of the participating police departments, stated, \u201cThe medication collection box in the lobby of our police department is a service that our citizens value because of its convenience. Our police department also values this service because we recognize that disposing of unwanted, unused, or expired medications in this manner is not only an environmentally friendly method of disposal, but also a foolproof method to ensure that the medications do not end up falling into the hands of children, addicts, or criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to current statistics, approximately 70% of the United States population will take some type of prescription medication every year. The three most prescribed drugs in the United States are (in order): (1) antibiotics; (2) antidepressants; and (3) opiates, such as oxycodone.<\/p>\n

In the Southeastern Pennsylvania region, the largest drug threat currently comes from prescription drugs and heroin, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Nationwide, more people are dying from prescription drug overdoses than from overdoses of any and all illegal drugs (including heroin, cocaine, and amphetamines). In fact, drug overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States, surpassing traffic accidents and guns.<\/p>\n

The most abused prescription drugs in the United States today are opioids, such as oxycodone. A few simple statistics show the explosive growth of this class of drugs. In 1998, 11.5 tons of oxycodone were produced world-wide. By 2013, 138 tons of oxycodone were produced. Over 90% of the oxycodone produced is consumed in the United States.<\/p>\n

Jeanne Casner, Director of Chester County\u2019s Health Department, stated, \u201cChester County is very fortunate to have such a successful medication disposal program through the collaboration of Chester County agencies. Many people who <\/span>misuse prescription drugs get them from friends and family, who may be unaware that their unused prescriptions are missing. Ensuring people have safe and known locations for disposing of unused or unwanted prescriptions is a critical element in our broader efforts to reduce access to and misuse of prescriptions, and prevents the prescriptions from ending up in our wastewater treatment facilities and contaminating groundwater.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking together, Chester County has taken an aggressive approach to combating the scourge of opioids and heroin,” Hogan said. “We use the drug disposal boxes. Every police department carries naloxone. We run a strong Drug Court program. We have a multi-disciplinary task force, which has been educating doctors on the dangers of these drugs. We <\/span>speak to students though the Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education program. We target\u00a0 <\/span>drug\u00a0 <\/span>dealers for prosecution.\u00a0 <\/span>As a result, Chester County has the lowest overdose rate\u00a0 <\/span>in Southeastern Pennsylvania. But we must do more.\u00a0 <\/span>Every child who dies from\u00a0 <\/span>an overdose is a tragedy for some family.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u00a0 <\/span>are 23\u00a0 <\/span>drug\u00a0 <\/span>disposal boxes\u00a0 <\/span>located\u00a0 <\/span>in Chester County. The drop boxes can be found at the following locations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Caln Township Police Department 253 Municipal Drive<\/p>\n

Thorndale, PA 19320<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Tredyffrin Township Police Department 1100 DuPortail Road<\/p>\n

Berwyn, PA 19312<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

City of Coatesville Police Department 1 City Hall<\/p>\n

Coatesville, PA 19320<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Valley Township Police Department<\/p>\n

890 W. Lincoln Highway Coatesville, PA 19320<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

East Brandywine Twp.<\/p>\n

Police Department 1212 Horseshoe Pike<\/p>\n

Downingtown, PA 19335<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Upper Uwchlan Township Police\u00a0 <\/span>Department 140 Pottstown Pike<\/p>\n

Chester Springs, PA 19425<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Easttown Township Police Department 566 Beaumont Rd<\/p>\n

Devon PA 19333<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

West Brandywine Twp.<\/p>\n

Police Department 198 Lafayette Road<\/p>\n

Coatesville, PA 19320<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Kennett Square Borough Police Department 115 N. Broad Street<\/p>\n

Kennett Square, PA 19348<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

West Caln Township Police Department<\/p>\n

721 W Kings Highway Coatesville, PA 19320<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

New Garden Township Police Department\u00a0 <\/span>8934 Gap Newport Pike Landenberg, PA 19350<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

West Chester University Police Department<\/p>\n

690 South Church Street West Chester PA 19383<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

North Coventry Township Police Department<\/p>\n

845 South Hanover Street Pottstown, PA 19464<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

West Goshen Township Police Department 1025 Paoli Pike<\/p>\n

West Chester, PA 19382<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Oxford Borough Police Department 57 N. Fourth Street Oxford, PA 19363<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

West Vincent Township Police Department<\/p>\n

729 St. Matthews Road Chester Springs, PA 19425<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Parkesburg Borough Police Department<\/p>\n

315 W. First Ave., Bldg. 2<\/p>\n

Parkesburg, PA 19365<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

West Whiteland Township Police Department<\/p>\n

101 Commerce Drive<\/p>\n

Exton, PA 19341<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Phoenixville Borough Police Department 351 Bridge Street<\/p>\n

Phoenixville, PA 19460<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department 1041 Wilmington Pike West Chester, PA 19382<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Sheriff\u2019s Office Chester County Justice Ctr.<\/p>\n

201 W. Market Street West Chester, PA 19380<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Willistown Township Police Department 688 Sugartown Road<\/p>\n

Malvern, PA 19355<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\n\n

Paoli Hospital<\/p>\n

255 West Lancaster Ave.<\/p>\n

Paoli, PA 19301<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced that more than\u00a08,000 pounds of prescription drugs were collected in 2016 through the Chester County drug disposal box program. The program places secure drop boxes in locations around Chester County so that citizens can safely dispose of prescription medications. The drug disposal box program was started in 2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[29,9449],"class_list":["post-33783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-chester-county","tag-drug-collection-boxes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33783"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33786,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33783\/revisions\/33786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}