Berlin Police Awarded Grant For Safe Medical Disposal

Information via Berlin Police Department

BERLIN, CT - Berlin Police Department announced today it has been awarded a grant for a drug collection unit as part of CVS Health’s Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program. The new unit is located in the lobby of police headquarters and will provide residents with a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired medication, including controlled substances.

“CVS Health is dedicated to helping the communities we serve address and prevent prescription drug abuse,” said Tom Davis, R.Ph., Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Services at CVS Health. “Reducing the amount of unused and unwanted medication in the home is critical to preventing prescription drug abuse. We are proud to work with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and local leaders to increase convenient access to safe medication disposal.”

The new drug disposal unit will help to reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in residents’ homes and decrease the potential for prescription drug abuse, which has soared in recent years, especially among teenagers. More than 70 percent of teenagers say it is easy to get prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets, according to a Partnership for Drug-Free Kids study. Proper drug disposal also helps to prevent the contamination of local landfills and water supplies from unused medication.

“With this donation we now have another tool to keep unused and expired medications out of the wrong hands,” said Investigations Division Lieutenant Mike Jobes. “The Berlin Police Department is proud to partner with CVS Health and we thank them for their commitment to helping residents reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in our community.”

Since 2014, CVS Health has been encouraging safe medication disposal by donating safe medication disposal units to local law enforcement. This year, it expanded on those efforts by completing the installation of more than 750 safe medication disposal units in select CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide. Together, these units have collected more than 217 metric tons, or 480,000 pounds, of unwanted medication.

CVS Pharmacy locations have also taken part in more than 800 events sponsored by local law enforcement as part of National Drug Take-Back Day.

The Medication Disposal for Safer Communities program builds on CVS Health's overall commitment to help communities address and prevent drug abuse, including through education and prevention. Launched in 2015, CVS Health's Pharmacists Teach program gives its pharmacists the opportunity to volunteer to speak to students at local schools about the dangers of drug abuse. More than 400,000 students have already benefitted from the program. CVS Pharmacy’s website also provides patients with resources to prevent prescription drug abuse and ensure safe use of medication.

The Berlin Police Department’s new Drug Collection Unit site is open to the public 24/7 and prescription drugs can be dropped off with no questions asked. Berlin residents and CVS Pharmacy customers can also inquire about the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program at the toll free phone number 1-866-559-8830 or visit http://www.cvs.com/content/prescription-drug-abuse.

Photo credit: Tim Jensen