The local seniors’ coalition recently wrapped up its third-annual “Medicine Cabinet Cleanout Contest,” once again seeing a good response to the initiative.
“We have contacted the prize winners and tallied the results,” public health educator Becky Holden, with the Northwestern Health Unit, said yesterday.
“We had 44 people participate and 55 pounds of medications brought in to the six pharmacies that participated,” she noted.
Participating pharmacies included the Fort Frances Clinic Dispensary, Pharmasave Downtown, the Canada Safeway pharmacy, Shoppers Drug Mart, the Wal-Mart pharmacy, and Emo Drugs.
Holden said the oldest medication prize went to a participant who returned a prescription from 1954 while greatest amount of returned medications from one participant was 22 pounds. Gift certificates for reflexology treatments were given to the these two winners.
Every person who turned in medication during the contest was entered into a draw. Six winners—one from each participating pharmacy—were randomly drawn. These people received $20 gift certificates purchased from the respective pharmacy.
“We want to remind everyone that they can dispose of their unused and expired medications, including over-the-counter drugs and vitamins or supplements, at any pharmacy at any time,” Holden remarked.
“Their continued participation in doing this reduces harm to the environment and also reduces the risks of medications being misused,” she added.
The purpose of the contest, sponsored by the New Horizons for Seniors Programing, was to encourage people to safely dispose of their medicine so that it’s not used after its best before date, used by someone who’s not supposed to take it, or improperly goes into the environment.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
