Speak Up Now New Hampshire Partners with DEA and Manchester PD
September 20, 2012
Manchester, NH
On Saturday, September 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. the Manchester Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to National Guard Armory parking lot at 771 Canal Street in Manchester. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Catholic Medical Center, Elliot Health System and Dartmouth-Hitchcock, in their collaboration known as Speak Up Now, are proud to help spread the word about Take Back Day.
"The timing of our Speak Up Now campaign against prescription drug abuse and the DEA's Take Back Day couldn't be better. We are so pleased to support this important effort and help get the word out," says Jodi Stewart, Director of Community Relations and Marketing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
"We appreciate our media partners stepping forward and joining this community-based call to action," says Dia Kalakonas of Marketing & Corporate Communications of Catholic Medical Center.
Leo Ducey, Resident Agent in Charge of the Manchester Resident Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Dr. Wendy Gladstone from the Child Advocacy and Protection Program, are participating in a number of radio interviews including the Jack Heath Show on WTPL, New Hampshire in the Morning on WZID, and the Paul Westcott Show on WGIR.
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 New Hampshire are alarmingly high:
- Abuse of prescription drugs in New Hampshire has doubled in the past 10 years.
- New Hampshire has the second highest rate nationally of young adults abusing pain medication in the past year.
- 1 in 5 teens in New Hampshire abuse prescription drugs.
Also alarming are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines - flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash - both pose potential safety and health hazards.
"The goals of Speak Up Now are simple," says Susanna Whitcher, Vice President, Public Affairs & Marketing at Elliot Hospital. "We want to help people make informed decisions about their health and well-being by using and storing prescription drugs appropriately; we want to create awareness among parents about the harmful effects prescription drug abuse can have on kids and teens and how to spot the signs of abuse; and finally we want to partner with organizations such as the DEA and Manchester police department to help make our community a safer place to live for everyone. Together, we can make a difference."
About Catholic Medical Center
Serving the community for more than 100 years, Catholic Medical Center is a 330-bed full-service health care facility dedicated to providing health, healing and hope to all. Catholic Medical Center offers full medical-surgical care with more than 25 subspecialties. Catholic Medical Center is also home to The Mom's Place, The New England Sleep Center, Obesity Treatment Center and the nationally recognized New England Heart Institute. More information is available at www.catholicmedicalcenter.org
About Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Dartmouth-Hitchcock is a national leader in patient-centered health care and building a sustainable health system. Founded in 1893, the system includes New Hampshire's only Level 1 trauma center and its only air ambulance service, as well as the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, one of only 40 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the state's only Children's Hospital Association-approved, comprehensive, full-service children's hospital. As an academic medical center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock provides access to nearly 1,000 primary care doctors and specialists in almost every area of medicine, as well as world-class research at the Audrey and Theodor Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Visit dartmouth-hitchcock.org.
About Elliot Health System
Elliot Health System is a non-profit organization serving your health care needs since 1890. The largest provider of comprehensive health care services in Southern New Hampshire, Elliot Hospital, a 296-bed acute care facility and the first community hospital in the state, serves as the cornerstone of the health system. Elliot is home to Manchester's designated Regional Trauma Center, Elliot Breast Health Center, Elliot Urgent Care, a Level 3 Newborn Intensive Care Unit, Elliot Physician Network, Elliot Regional Cancer Center, the Elliot Senior Health Center, Visiting Nurse Association of Manchester and Southern New Hampshire, Elliot 1-Day Surgery Center, Elliot at River's Edge and New Hampshire's Hospital for Children For more information on any of Elliot's services, call Elliot Direct at 663-1111 or visit www.elliothospital.org.
For more information contact Jodi Stewart at (603) 629-1859, or Dia Kalakonas at (603) 663-6045, or Susanna Whitcher at (603) 663-8933.
