Mobile Drug Disposal Unit Visiting Delco Towns

Delaware County's Heroin Task Force is taking its mission on the road by bringing the Mobile Drug Collection Unit to various county towns in the coming days to help remove dangerous prescription drugs and combat opioid use.

"Prescription drugs are often the target of theft and misuse. We know that young people are often becoming addicted to opioids by first taking a prescription drug which they get from medicine cabinets of their parents, their grandparents, or friends," said District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland. "One way to prevent addiction is to offer convenient, secure and environmentally safe drug collections to decrease the supply of unused prescription drugs in the home."

As part of the Delaware County Heroin Task Force’s mission to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs, abuse that can have fatal results, the Mobile Drug Collection Unit will be at various upcoming community events across Delaware County, including many upcoming National Night Out events taking place on Tuesday, August 7.

A list of locations the Mobile Drug Collection Unit will be stopping is below.

By making the mobile drug drop boxes available at community events, residents now have a convenient, safe, and anonymous way to dispose of their drugs.

Organizations, businesses, and municipal leaders in Delaware County can call the Delaware County Heroin Task Force to schedule this van free of charge by calling the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division at (610) 891-7869.

For more information and a list of drug drop box locations near you, visit the Heroin Task Force website here.

In addition to the Mobile Drug Collection Unit, the Heroin Task Force has 40 secure, permanent Medicine Drop Boxes at nearly all of the police departments and the Government Center in Media, and various Delaware County hospitals. More than 20,000 pounds of prescription drugs have been collected through the program.

Additionally, the Delaware County Heroin Task Force is working in the community to connect those struggling with addiction to treatment and resources through the Delaware County Certified Recovery Specialist Program (CRS).

These specialists, managed by Crozer-Keystone, are available to assist residents around the clock. The Certified Recovery Specialists have engaged and outreached to more than 1,000 people, averaging about three calls a day.

Residents can reach a Certified Recovery Specialist by calling (610) 497-7278.

Locations of the Mobile Drug Collection Unit visit are:

1. July 28, noon to 3 p.m. – Darby Borough Community Day, 821 Summit Street (Old Police Station), Darby
2. August 27, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Upper Darby Bywood Healthy Community Forum, 7099 Locust Street, Upper Darby
3. August 7, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Springfield Township National Night Out, Springfield County Club Parking Lot, 400 W. Sproul Road, Springfield
4. August 7, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Marple Township National Night Out, Cardinal O'Hara High School, 1701 S. Sproul Road Springfield
5. August 7, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Darby Township National Night Out, Darby Township Police Department Parking Lot, 2 Studevan Plaza, Sharon Hill
6. August 7, 6 p.m. to 9: p.m. – Upland Borough National Night Out, Bristol Lord Field, 6th & Main Streets, Upland
7. August 7, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Haverford Township National Night Out, Quarry Center, 116 W. Township Line Road, Havertown, PA (in front of Lowes)
8. August 7, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Upper Darby Township National Night Out, Upper Darby High School, 601 N. Lansdowne Avenue, Upper Darby
9. August 7, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Lansdowne National Night Out, North Highland Avenue, Parking Lot (next to the Lansdowne Fire Company), Lansdowne
10. September 15, noon to 4 p.m. – Drexel Hill Awareness Day, Arlington Cemetery, 2900 State Road, Drexel Hill
11. September 18, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – State Rep. Jamie Santora’s Senior Expo, Drexelbrook, 4700 Drexelbrook Drive, Drexel Hill
12. September 29, noon to 4 p.m. – Parkside Community Day, 2 E. Forrestview Road, Parkside
13. October 6, 10:30 a.m to 3 p.m. – Aston Community Day, 3270 Concord Road, Aston
14. October 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – State Rep. Chris Quinn Shred-It Event, Penn State Brandywine, 25 Yearsley Mill Road, Media
15. October 20, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Upper Darby Community Day, Upper Darby High School, 601 N. Lansdowne Avenue, Upper Darby
16. October 4, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Senior Tom Killion's Senior Expo, Penn State Brandywine, 25 Yearsley Mill Road, Media

Images via Shutterstock, Delaware County