Dump Your Old Meds

Old medications? Drop-off event across Newaygo County on Oct. 26
 
FREMONT – Got old, expired and unused prescription medications lying around?
 
The public is invited to dispose of unwanted medications at locations throughout Newaygo County on Oct. 26. The sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
 
The locations are:
 

• Ed’s Orchard Market, 75 W. Michigan Ave., Hesperia.
• Fremont Fire Department, 101 E. Main, Fremont
• Grant Fire Department, 62 W. State, Grant
• HomeTown Pharmacy – Newaygo, 226 W. River Valley Drive, Newaygo
• Family Health Care – White Cloud, 555 E. Wilcox, White Cloud

 
Organized by the Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network, the drop-off event includes partnerships with Headway Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and the Newaygo County Sheriff’s Department.
 
“These drop-off sites are a good way for people to safely dispose of medications that can’t be used anymore, and we encourage everyone in our community to visit our five locations,” said Rachel Uganski of the Headway Coalition. “Our drop-off events are also a good time to educate people about the potential and the dangers of misusing medications.”
 
Jena Zeerip, supervisor of community programs at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial and chair of the prescription drug action team at Headway, said: “By safely and responsibly getting rid of unused medications, we can better remove drugs from our homes that are at risk of getting in the hands of children and individuals who could potentially misuse them.”
 
While Michigan saw a 25-percent decline in the number of opioid prescriptions between 2013-2017, the most recent year for available data, the number of deaths more than doubled in that time span to 2,033 in 2017, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

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