Sheboygan County residents turned in a record 610 pounds of unused and expired prescription medication at the spring take-back day held by Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 on Saturday, April 29th.
Volunteers and law enforcement coordinated five take-back locations throughout the county – one each in Sheboygan, Random Lake, Plymouth, Oostburg and Howards Grove. The amount of medications turned in this past weekend is the most collected in Sheboygan County since the take-back day events started in 2014.
“We are grateful for the community’s overwhelming response and willingness to help prevent theft or abuse of unused medication,” said Sergeant Kurt Zempel, commander of the Sheboygan County MEG Unit and member of the Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 Heroin Subcommittee.
“Safe disposal is a big step in preventing the risk of addiction and overdose from prescription medication abuse that each of us can take, and the increase in medication collected is an indication that our community members are on board with prevention and awareness efforts regarding heroin and opioids,” he said.
Sheboygan County residents who were unable to make it to one of the Drug Take Back Day locations can still drop off unused medications any day at one of the permanent medication drop-boxes, located at five police departments throughout Sheboygan County:
- Elkhart Lake Police Department, 40 Pine Street, Elkhart Lake
- Kohler Police Department, 319 Highland Drive, Kohler
- Plymouth Police Department, 128 Smith Street, Plymouth
- Sheboygan Police Department, 1315 N. 23rd Street, Sheboygan
- Sheboygan Falls Police Department, 375 Buffalo Street, Sheboygan Falls
The drug take-back events are held twice a year in coordination with the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s “Dose of Reality” initiative.
Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 (HSC2020) is a community-based initiative seeking to make positive changes in the health status of Sheboygan County by 2020. Membership and representation in HSC2020 includes public health, local health care agencies, schools, businesses, and community representatives that work together to help the community live better, longer lives.
