What do you do with, say, that bottle of cough syrup from 1989 that obviously isn’t something you can use, shouldn’t even have in the house, honestly, and is much more a danger than it is anything else?
You can admit it. You throw it away, or dump the contents of the bottle into the sink and then throw it away.
News flash: You really shouldn’t do that.
“This can cause contamination of the soil, of the water supply, and can lead to illness in humans and animals,” said Mary Mannix, the president and CEO at Augusta Health in Fishersville, which is spearheading an effort under the name Operation Medicine Cabinet to give area residents an outlet for safely disposing of outdated prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
“This has become a problem not only in our community, but nationwide, and we believe that we can make a difference in terms of creating a safer and healthier environment for our communities,” Mannix said at a news event at Augusta Health Thursday morning getting the word out about an Operation Medicine Cabinet collection event scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Augusta Health.
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Interview with Waynesboro City Councilwoman Lorie Smith
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Area residents can drop off outdated medications for disposal at Augusta Health on Nov. 7.
The city governments in Staunton and Waynesboro and the county government in Augusta are partnering with the hospital in Operation Medicine Cabinet.
“We worry about this from a lot of different perspectives, from the health perspective to the impact on the environment,” Waynesboro City Council member Lorie Smith said.
“We are thrilled that we have been able to bring a model program into our community for the citizens, and hopefully we can remodel this in years to come,” Smith said.
– Story by Chris Graham
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Chris Graham
