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You hear all the time, the various commercials and public service announcements about how to properly dispose of your prescription drugs. It's a big problem that you need to learn about.
Intermountain Healthcare Community Pharmacy Director Buck Stanford is telling us a little more about the Use Only As Directed Camapaign.
• With prescription drug-related fatalities on the rise again in Utah, Intermountain Healthcare and the state's prevention campaign, Use Only As Directed, have joined forces to educate the public about the health crisis and encourage Utahns to save lives—not medications.
• More deaths in Utah are caused by prescription medication overdoses than car crashes. Public health officials report that over 300 adults in Utah die from unintentional prescription drug overdoses annually.
• There are permanent medication disposal drop boxes at 21 Intermountain Community Pharmacy locations across Utah.
• The partnership with Intermountain will also feature signage and a pill bottle graphic on the bottom of every prescription receipt that promotes following medication instructions exactly; large pill bottle hourglasses on pharmacy countertops that encourage a conversation between patient and pharmacist about safe use and disposal of prescription medications; and lapel buttons worn by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians reminding patrons not to share their prescription medications.
• We're placing these messages in all our Community Pharmacy locations to remind Utahns that while prescription medications can be a powerful, healing tool, they also have very real dangers when not used as your doctor and pharmacist direct.
