Sea Isle Police to Participate in Medicine Chest Challenge

THE SEA ISLE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE AMERICAN MEDICINE CHEST CHALLENGE ON NOVEMBER 13
SEA ISLE CITY — On Sat. Nov. 13, the Sea Isle City Police Department will participate in the American Medicine Chest Challenge (AMCC), a national public health initiative to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and to ensure the safe disposal of unused, unwanted and expired drugs.
During this one-day event, which is sponsored by the Sheriff’s Association of New Jersey, the public is invited to anonymously drop-off any unneeded prescription medications at the Sea Isle City Police Department, 233 JFK Boulevard, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All drugs collected will be transported to the Cape May County Sheriff’s Department before being incinerated – a process that is considered better for the environment than simply flushing medications down the drain.
The AMCC is being supported by numerous organizations in New Jersey, including the Health Care Institute of New Jersey, the New Jersey Prevention Network, the Poison Control Center of New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Human Services, and the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
According to SICPD Sgt. Thomas McQuillen, organizer of the collection in Sea Isle City, safely removing superfluous prescription drugs from homes can also remove temptation from those who may abuse drugs.
“This event has been very successful in the past and we anticipate that many unused drugs will be collected again on November 13,” said McQuillen. “Prescription drug abuse often goes undetected, and parents are frequently surprised to learn that some children abuse drugs they find at home.
“Sometimes people forget that they have dangerous drugs in their medicine cabinets, which is especially critical when children are present. We encourage all parents to take the Medicine Chest 5-Step Challenge.”
The 5-Step Challenge includes taking inventory of your medicine, securing your medicine chest, taking medicine only as prescribed by your doctor, safely disposing of all unused, unwanted and expired medicine, and talking to your children about the dangers of prescription drugs.
To ensure privacy during the AMCC collection, McQuillen also recommends that participants remove their names and any personal information from medicine bottle labels before dropping-off prescription drugs during this event.
For additional information about the American Medicine Chest Challenge in Sea Isle City, phone (609) 263-4311, ext. 2310, or visit www.americanmedicinechest.com .