Every day, 40 Americans die from an overdose caused by prescription drug pain killers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Most of the people who abuse prescription medications get them from a friend or relative, sometimes resorting to stealing them out of medicine cabinets.
In an effort to prevent unused prescription drugs from being stolen and abused, Autumn Lake Healthcare at Oceanview is working with the New Jersey State Police for Project Medicine Drop. Project Medicine Drop allows consumers to dispose of unused and expired medications anonymously, preventing those medications from getting into the wrong hands.
On Thursday, Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Lt. Doug Pearson of the New Jersey State Police Department will be at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Oceanview, 2721 Rt. 9, Ocean View, to collect unused prescription drugs. Autumn Lake particularly encourages seniors to come in and drop off old medications.
Free blood pressure screenings with the friendly staff of Autumn Lake will be available for those who drop off their medications. If interested, people will also be able to take a tour of Autumn Lake’s assisted living and long-term care facilities.
Jennifer Hess, Administrator of Autumn Lake Healthcare at Oceanview, states, “Project Medicine Drop is important to us because we care for seniors and offer services that return people to the community. When people are in and out of the hospital frequently, they get many medications that pile up in their homes – and that’s how mistakes happen and prescription drugs get abused. Autumn Lake wants to support the community by trying to avoid these types of serious situations.”
For more information on Project Medicine Drop at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Oceanview or its services in general, call (609) 624-3881 or visit autumnlakehc.com/oceanview.
