Photo provided by Savannah Jacquay
H.O.P.E committee members Bob Hayes (left) and David Eymer (right) with pharmacist, David Dingman (center) who has also joined the H.O.P.E committee and manages the Medicine Place.
PHOENIX, NY – H.O.P.E, Heroin Opioid Prevention Education is a recently founded support group based out of Phoenix with the goal “to share valuable knowledge with the members of our community surrounding addiction, specifically to Heroin and Opioids.”
As the groups first major awareness campaign, H.O.P.E hosted a community forum complete with an agency expo, multiple keynote speakers, and a diverse panel of specialists with a wide range in background and expertise to answer questions from the public.
Aside from providing immense knowledge to community members, the forum was an open discussion that brought ideas, solutions and different opinions to the forefront.
A MedSafe box has been installed in Phoenix’s Medicine Place for safe, private disposal of unused medication.
One of the many topics that came about at the event was the lack of opportunity to dispose of unused medication to prevent from potential abuse, which triggered a response plan from H.O.P.E and members of the community.
Together, H.O.P.E and the Medicine Place located at 464 Main Street, proudly announced the new resource available to the community and surrounding areas, a MedSafe Box for unused medication.
H.O.P.E founder, Savannah Jacquay said David Dingman, local pharmacist and one of the forum’s keynote contributor/panelists immediately began looking into the guidelines and requirements for housing a MedSafe box and ultimately made it happen.
“We have a new resource that will help us decrease the risk of accidental overdose or the development of addictions,” said Jacquay. “This box offers the opportunity for patrons, residents and friends to properly and safely dispose of their unused medication.”
The MedSafe box, located inside the Medicine Place, operates similar to a mailbox. Most medications can simply be placed in a Ziploc bag, provided on top of the box, or in the original bottle. No additional information about the medication is needed and provides a safe way to dispose of medicine privately, she explained.
Items accepted by the MedSafe box include: pills, ointments/creams, powders, nebulizer solutions, and liquid medicines less than 4 ounces. It will not accept needles, aerosol cans or other medical supplies, she continued.
H.O.P.E committee members Bob Hayes (left) and David Eymer (right) with pharmacist, David Dingman (center) who has also joined the H.O.P.E committee and manages the Medicine Place.
“The management of the Medicine Place has graciously offered to cover the costs associated with installation and housing of the MedSafe, and the disintegration process. They believe in the mission and message of H.O.P.E, and we look forward to partnering with them in the future to offer additional resources and educational opportunities for our village and surrounding communities,” Jacquay said.
Bob Hayes, a member of the H.O.P.E committee said, “This is great opportunity for our community to safely dispose of potentially dangerous medications. It is a key step to keeping prescription drugs out of the hands of our youth. The Medicine Place should be commended for taking on this responsibility to provide this to our community.”
And founder, Jacquay agreed, “”Our mission of spreading hope is not merely lip-service, we and those in our community, like Mr. Dingman, are putting words into actions and providing tangible resources for our friends and neighbors to utilize as we all fight this growing epidemic,” she said.
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