New Holland >> Once again, Garden Spot Village and the New Holland Police Department are partnering to provide a collection site in New Holland for the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
The public is encouraged to bring unwanted expired, unwanted or unused prescription and over-the-counter medications for safe, secure disposal on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the collection site on the campus of the retirement community at 433 S. Kinzer Ave. in New Holland.
“We are happy to be a part of the Ninth National Take Back Initiative, which helps keep the New Holland community safer and healthier,” said Colleen Musselman, director of life enrichment at Garden Spot Village.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released in 2013, 6.8 million Americans reported having abused prescription drugs in 2012, and more than 54 percent of those who abused prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, including raiding the family medicine cabinet.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) works with state and local law enforcement agencies to coordinate the take-back initiatives at sites across the country. The effort provides safe, no-cost and confidential disposal for prescription drugs, including controlled and non-controlled substances, and over-the-counter medications.
The event is free and completely anonymous. Participants may remove personal information from drug bottles or packages.
“We will accept pills, capsules, creams and liquids, but we cannot accept syringes or ‘sharps’,” Musselman said.
A law enforcement officer will be present during the collection. Signs will be posted on campus to direct the public to the collection site.
For more information, call Colleen Musselman at 717-355-6007 or Chief Donald Bowers at 717-354-4647.
