DUBLIN, Ohio, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Non-profit
organizations across the country were awarded grants from the
Cardinal Health Foundation to help fight prescription drug misuse
by improving their communities' medication disposal programs.
According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,
nearly 70% of those who misuse prescription drugs get them from
family members or friends, and often from the medicine cabinet.
"One of the simplest and most effective ways to fight prescription
drug misuse is to encourage the proper disposal of unused or
expired medication," said Betsy
Walker, Community Relations director and Generation Rx
program manager at Cardinal Health. "Cardinal Health Foundation is
investing $360,000 to support these
programs and help educate on proper disposal."
With grant funding from the Generation Rx program, grantees will
work to increase awareness of their communities' drug disposal
programs, and increase the participation of community members in
the programs.
All recipients proposed collaborative programs that partner with
other organizations in their communities, and engage pharmacists or
student pharmacists. "Pharmacists play a powerful role in fighting
prescription drug misuse by educating their communities about how
to use medications safely," Walker said.
Youth are also involved with each grantee's project; according
to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
youth who learn about the risks of prescription drug misuse are up
to 50% less likely to ever misuse prescription drugs. Young people
also help influence their parents to properly dispose of unused or
expired medications.
Some of the programs will specifically target young people with
educational messages, while others will engage young students in
creating educational messages for their peers. Another grantee will
train high school students to teach elementary students about the
dangers of prescription drug misuse.
All grant projects are required to measure impact and outcomes
of the disposal program's promotion efforts and education efforts
(comparing community participation in drug disposal before and
after program implementation, for example). In addition, each
grantee is charged with seeking opportunities, if available, for
scaling up and spreading successful programs to other
communities.
Grantees will report on the results of their grant initiatives
in the summer of 2017.
Since 2009, the Cardinal Health Foundation has invested over
$5 million in partnerships and grants
across the country to raise awareness and knowledge about the
dangers of prescription drug misuse through the Generation Rx
program.
2016 medication disposal grant recipients
- The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of
Saratoga County, with funding
being used by The Community Coalition for Family Wellness,
South Glens Falls, New
York
- Children's Coalition for Northeast
Louisiana, Monroe,
Louisiana
- Community Awareness and Prevention Association (CAPA),
Brecksville / Broadview Heights, Ohio
- Drug Free Tipton, Covington,
Tennessee
- Geisinger Clinic, Danville,
Pennsylvania
- Janesville Area Crime Stoppers, Janesville, Wisconsin
- Licking County Prevention Partnership (Pathways of Central Ohio), Newark, Ohio
- Manhasset Community Coalition Against Substance Abuse (CASA),
Manhasset, New York
- Norfolk County (MA) Seven
Public Health Departments Collaborative, Needham, Massachusetts
- OASIS Coalition / Old Colony YMCA, Stoughton, Massachusetts
- PEER Services, Inc, Evanston and Glenview, Illinois
- Pledge for Life Partnership, Kankakee, Illinois
- Project Lazarus, Moravian Falls,
North Carolina
- Rise Above Colorado, Broomfield,
Colorado
- St. Louis College of Pharmacy,
Saint Louis, Missouri
- Union County Drug Free Coalition, Marysville, Ohio
- Youth Connections, Helena,
Montana
About the Cardinal Health Foundation
The Cardinal
Health Foundation supports local, national and international
programs that improve health care efficiency, effectiveness and
excellence and the overall wellness of the communities where
Cardinal Health, Inc.'s (NYSE:CAH) nearly 37,000 employees live and
work. The Cardinal Health Foundation also offers grants to
encourage community service among its employees and works through
international agencies to donate much-needed medical supplies and
funding to those who need them in times of disaster; because
Cardinal Health, Inc. is #AllInForGood. To learn more, visit
www.CardinalHealth.com/community and visit the Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/CardinalHealthFoundation.
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SOURCE Cardinal Health Foundation