By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
Utah State University Extension HEART continues its fight against the opioid epidemic and prescription drug abuse on Saturday, Oct. 18, with its biannual prescription Take Back Day. Dr. Ashley Yaugher from Extension joined the KOAL Newsroom to speak on the event and its benefits for the community.
“It’s Prescription Take-Back Day, but we will take back any medications that you don’t want, and also vaping devices without batteries,” explained Yaugher of the event. “We do these twice a year in April and October, and we partner with our local Sheriff’s Departments in Carbon and Emery County. So we have two locations, and it’s a great opportunity to go through your medicine cabinet and see what you don’t want or need anymore. If it’s expired, get it out, right? You don’t want to leave that stuff in your medicine cabinet for people that aren’t prescribed your medications or shouldn’t be getting into them.”
In addition to providing an opportunity to dispose of expired or unneeded medication, the event also offers attendees a free meal while supplies last. “As a perk, we will feed you for bringing back your medications,” said Yaugher. “The first 40 in Carbon County and 30 in Emery County. Luckily, Reuben’s Barbecue is going to be doing a great meal for us in Price, and Getting Our Smoke On is going to be doing a delicious barbecue meal as well in Huntington.”
Speaking on the impact she’s seen from Take Back Day, Yaugher shared,” We’ve been doing this for several years. The biggest impact is just sharing the fact that we should be going through our medicine cabinet and not taking old or expired medications, but also having a place to take back the medications. But you don’t have to just bring them back on Oct. 18. You can take them back any time, all year round. It’s good for our water quality. It’s good for our environment. It’s good to keep our houses safe.”
She added,” I also think it’s great to have all of our local partners in one place, because we do table and giveaway swag at the events as well. So it’s a nice place just to meet some of the key players in our communities that are really boots on the ground, doing the work to keep our communities safe and healthy.”
Closing our conversation, Yaugher stated,” I hope to see everybody, and I hope it’s a sunny day on Saturday, Oct. 18.”
USU Extension Hearts Prescription Take Back Day will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18, from noon to 2 p.m. Locations are available in Price at 40 West Main Street and in Huntington at 360 North Main Street. More information is available online on Facebook.