Saturday October 26th, 2019
The LowCountry Alliance for Healthy Youth (LCAHY), Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, and Beaufort County Drug and Alcohol Department (BCADAD) partnered to promote and carryout DEA National Take Back Day. Old, expired, and unwanted medications were collected from the citizens of Beaufort County. LCAHY Board members, Galen T. Sturup Comeau and Wade E. Bishop representing BCADAD, assisted the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office on two separate sites by collecting data on the number of people dropping off medications and collected data on where individuals read or heard about the event. Galen gave out the LCAHY Rx Fact Card, which educated individuals on the importance of properly disposing of medication, provided a list of local year-round drop-off sites, gave step-by-step directions on proper home disposal, and provided a list of resources. The fact card contained information on the new drop off box at the Bluffton Police Department that was funded with DFC Grant money. LCAHY will be adding an additional drop off location this year, and this collaborative event will be repeated annually. The data showed that of our respondents, the most media exposure that resulted in people coming to the event were television and the newspaper ads (both paper and digital). Many people also reported seeing the Rx Take Back Day flyers posted on pharmacy bags. Data collected on the average poundage of medications from the two locations was 90 pounds and this was reported to the DEA for the national totals. To encourage more participation next year, LCAHY plans to explore other social media platforms.