Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Delaware now has 28 permanent prescription drug drop boxes statewide

Prescription drug drop box at Dover Police Department.

Delaware residents now have more options to dispose of unwanted medications.

State officials are expanding the availability of permanent prescription drug drop boxes as overdose deaths in the First State continue to increase.

In 2018, Delaware recorded 400. That number increased to 431 in 2019.  As of October 2nd this year, there have been 276 suspected drug overdose deaths in Delaware.

Katie Capelli is the project coordinator for the Delaware Office of Health Crisis Response. 

 

She says one way to help bring those numbers down is to keep unused prescription medications out of the wrong hands, and the state is helping do that with more prescription drug drop boxes.

 

“There are 28 permanent drug box sites," said Capelli. "And this is 7 new from last year. 10 are in New Castle County, 7 are in Kent County and 11 are in Sussex County. They’re located at various pharmacies, there’s one at a behavioral health center and then in the lobbies of the town or city police agencies.”

Capelli notes that properly discarding unused prescriptions at these locations - particularly opioids - can keep them from being stolen, misused, or away from small children and animals who could accidentally be poisoned by them.

 

“We know that there’s a high percentage of use of opioids specifically,: said Capelli. "In the State of Delaware we have an issue of overprescribing. And most commonly we are number one in long-acting and extended-release opioids. There’s about - over 60 opioids per every 100 Delaware residents prescribed in Delaware.”

According to a nationwide report, more than half of people who misuse pain relievers obtained them from a friend or family member.

A full list of the Delaware's drop box sites is available at the state's Help is Here Delaware website and here.

Kelli Steele has over 30 years of experience covering news in Delaware, Baltimore, Winchester, Virginia, Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California.