Press release:
On Saturday, October 23rd, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. law enforcement agencies across Genesee County and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
There will be three locations across the county where citizens can dispose of their medications. Sharps will only be accepted at the Batavia location.
The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.
The Batavia Police Department, in conjunction with United Memorial Medical Center, will be accepting prescription drugs and sharps in the Alva Place parking lot across the street from Batavia Showtime (located in the Genesee County Mall), Batavia. The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office will be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at the Pembroke Town Hall, 1145 Main Rd. Corfu. The LeRoy Police Department will be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at their headquarters located at 3 West Main Street, LeRoy.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long.
The Batavia Police Department Headquarters has one for everyday collection of drugs and sharps located in the rear vestibule at 10 West Main St., Batavia, NY. Containers are also located at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office on Park Rd, Batavia, and at the LeRoy Police Department.
The FDA also provides information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs. More information is available here: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 23rd Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.
