Column: Live United, by Ann Austin

Do you have unused prescription medications in your medicine cabinet? Did you know there is now a secure location to dispose of them?

The United Way of Freeborn County has worked with other community members to address drug abuse since the formation of a meth task force several years ago. The leadership in our community did an excellent job of educating about the damaging effects of meth use and the dangers of labs that were becoming prevalent in our area.

More recently the community has been faced with increasing misuse of prescription medications. There are many stories about youth and adults stealing medications from family members or strangers, selling them in the community and suffering severe consequences from overdosing on pills or mixing medications.

Seventy percent of youth who abuse prescription drugs say they get them from friends and family, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. An effective way to prevent misuse of drugs is to make sure they are not accessible.

To reduce access, several groups have combined efforts to create a safe disposal site for excess medications. Freeborn County Partners In Prevention combined forces with United Way of Freeborn County, the Drug Education Task Force, Albert Lea Police Department, Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office and Freeborn County Environmental Services to create a drug drop box site at the Law Enforcement Center.

United Way funded the drug drop box through a special venture fund that was created to encourage new programs that address emerging community needs. The box is emptied by law enforcement staff once a week. All medications are stored in a secure site and will be disposed of properly by trained professionals thanks to continued funding from the Drug Free Communities Grant.

Since its installation in December, the drug drop box has brought in more than 180 pounds of excess medications. This includes a community collection day that was held last fall.

Another benefit of the drug drop box is that medications are kept from entering our waterways and contaminating our environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, prescription medications are recognized as contaminants of emerging concern, or CECs, because the risk to human health and the environment associated with their presence, frequency of occurrence, or source may not be known. The EPA is studying possible consequences of these contaminants.

We are not certain how significant of a concern these excess chemicals are for our health, but we can take action by disposing of medications properly.

To access the drug drop box, enter the Law Enforcement Center lobby (at the northeast corner of the Freeborn County Government Center, 411 S. Broadway Ave., Albert Lea) and follow the signs. The box is available seven days a week for 24 hours a day.

Instructions for dropping off unused drugs:

1. Leave drug in its original container.

2. Use a marker to cross out your name and personal information on the container.

3. Keep the name of the drug visible.

4. Drop the unused drugs into the drug drop box.

No needles or sharps are accepted. Over-the-counter medications can be disposed of in the trash and over-the-counter medication containers can be recycled. Information on proper disposal of other medications can be found at the box.

The United Way of Freeborn County is focused on preventing problems from happening in the first place. Our goal is to change lives by addressing the underlying causes of community issues. The misuse of prescription medication is just one of the challenges our community faces.

We will continue to collaborate with others to create a healthier Freeborn County. But we realize that we can’t do much without the support of the whole community. Thank you for doing your part!

Ann Austin is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.