Muskegon area continues program to safely dispose of unused or expired medications

By Sharon Hanks

Due to an overwhelming response from its first collection, organizers of the Muskegon Area Medical Disposal Program are busy preparing for its next drop-off event April 17 where residents can safely get rid of unused or expired medications.

"We knew it (service) was needed and this just confirmed that," says Laura Fitzpatrick, a project manager for the Muskegon Community Health Project and one of the event's organizers. She says 170 individuals dropped off more than 400 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter drugs at the Disposal Program's first four-hour drop-off collection at the Norton Shores Fire Station.

The collection generated more meds than expected says Fitzpatrick, who also leads the community's efforts for a drug-free Muskegon. Six pharmacists and two pharmacy technicians were kept busy sorting the meds throughout the drug take-back.

The free program is aimed at improving the environment and reducing the chances of accidental poisoning. All medications and evidence, such as labels with patient names, are to be incinerated. Controlled substances were turned over to law enforcement agencies and the other medications were turned over to a certified waste hauler for incineration.

The U.S. Federal Drug and Administration used to recommend that these drugs be flushed down toilets, but this method raised environmental concerns about the effects even traces of the medications might have on drinking water and on the ecology of wildlife.

The Medication Disposal Program developed through a unique and wide-ranging collaboration among a number of entities, including the Lakeshore Health Network, Mercy Health Partners, the Muskegon Community Health Project, the Muskegon County's Sheriff's Office, the Muskegon Safe Homes, the Muskegon Police Department and the Norton Shores Police and Fire Departments.

Conversations about a disposal program had been an ongoing topic among many community leaders. But the program didn't get off the ground until Grand Valley State University student Carrie Uthe got involved with her senior thesis on the effect prescription drugs have on a community's water system. She's widely credited for her leadership role in pulling the pieces together, Fitzpatrick says.

The next Medication Disposal Drop-off event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 17 at the White Lake Ambulance Authority. Another one is planned for June 19 in a yet-to-be-determined site in Muskegon. Others will be scheduled for August and October.

Fitzpatrick says that by late summer, the coalition, in partnership with Mercy Health Partners' Retail Pharmacies, will provide daily drop-off locations for medications as well as disposal of needles and sharps at local pharmacies.

Sources: Laura Fitzpatrick, project manager for Muskegon County Community Health Project and leader for Drug-free Muskegon; Grand Valley State University's website; the Muskegon Area Medication Disposal Program's website.

Sharon Hanks is innovations and jobs news editor at Rapid Growth Media. Please send story ideas and comments for the column to Sharon at [email protected]. She also is owner of The Write Words in Grand Rapids.