Heroin and other opioids are devastating communities across America, including communities in Westchester County. According to the Partnership for Drug Free Kids, deaths from heroin have increased 328% between 2010 and 2015, and drug deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are now seeing a sharp rise as well. More Americans die from drug overdoses than in car crashes, and this increasing trend is driven by Rx painkillers.
In response to this harrowing epidemic, the Alliance for Safe Kids (ASK) and the Yorktown Police Department (YPD) teamed up to install a permanent Prescription Drug Disposal Unit in Yorktown.
On July 11, 2017, the YPD disposed of 212 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The Unit was installed in May of 2012 and has since collected 2,834 lbs of drugs from the medicine cabinets of local residents – that is averaging out to be 46 lbs per month!
ASK is encouraging those who would like to safely dispose of prescription or over-the-counter medications to consider making a visit to the YPD – the Unit is located right in the lobby. You can empty all your tablets, capsules and patches into a bag for drop off. You cannot drop off liquids, needles or syringes.
Properly disposing of excess drugs is everyone’s responsibility as a matter of public safety. More than 70 percent of young people abusing prescription pain relievers get them through friends or family, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet. Yorktown citizens don’t have to wait for a specific take-back day to clean out their medicine cabinets.
Safely disposing of expired or unused prescription medications is a critical step in helping protect our youth. The collection site is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Drugs can be dropped off with no questions asked.
The mission of the Alliance for Safe Kids is to promote awareness and prevention of substance use/ abuse and other destructive behaviors damaging to our youth. ASK is a collaboration within the community aimed at providing youth with the information and skills needed to make healthy decisions while emphasizing the need for families to protect and nurture their children by getting informed and staying involved. By partnering with all areas of the community, we collectively strengthen the safety net that protects our youth.