Clay Co., Kan. — The Clay Counts Coalition, Clay County Health Department,and Clay Center Police Department say thank you to the members of our community that participated in the Drug Take Back Day held on Friday, April 29th.

As a result of their active participation, 120 gallons of prescription and over-the- counter drug bottles were collected.

The National Drug Take Back Day began in 2010 to provide easy, anonymous opportunities to remove medicines in the home that are highly susceptible to misuse, abuse, and theft.  Clay County Health Department Director Dana Rickley shared that as folks came to bring in their medication, many expressed appreciation for this opportunity.

As one community member shared, “I have had this medicine in a box ever since my mom passed, and I just didn’t know what to do with it.Thank you for helping me deal with it in a safe way!”

The Clay County Health Department served as the collection site on Friday afternoon. Once collected the medications were safely disposed of using a product called DETERRA, a drug deactivation system.

When left in a medicine cabinet, thrown away or flushed, unused prescriptions can be dangerous to people, animals, or the environment. If you have old medication that needs safe disposal, you can obtain a DETERRA packet by contacting Krista Macaho at kmachado@DCCCA.org.