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Montcalm Prevention Collaborative celebrate med disposal milestoneFree Access



SHERIDAN — On Nov. 6, Montcalm Prevention Collaborative’s (MPC) Medication Disposal Work Team hosted a medication take back day at Sheridan Community hospital where more than 30 pounds of medication was collected. The event was held in conjunction with local law enforcement and Sheridan Community Hospital.

Former Montcalm County sheriff Bill Barnwell and former Sheridan Community Hospital pharmacy director Mary Thomas were both honored for their contributions to the Montcalm Prevention Collaborative on Nov. 6. — Submitted photo

Past and current MPC members were in attendance, as well as several community partners who helped make the medication disposal program a success. Attendees celebrated a milestone 12 years in the making — the collection of 10,000 pounds of medication. That’s 10,000 pounds of medication diverted from landfills, countless accidental poisonings averted, and substance use disorders prevented.

At the event, MPC recognized Mary Thomas and former Montcalm County sheriff Bill Barnwell for their contributions to the cause.

“Montcalm Prevention Collaborative would like to especially thank Mary Thomas because without her, this program wouldn’t exist,” said Amy O’Brien, MPC Executive Board chair. “The Collaborative would also like to thank the community partners that have helped make this program a success. Those partners include Montcalm Sheriff Department, Michigan State Police, Carson City Police Department, Greenville Department of Public Safety, Lakeview Police Department, Carson City Hospital, Sheridan Community Hospital, Spectrum Health United and Kelsey Hospitals, Montcalm Care Network and Mid-Michigan District Health Department.”

In 2009, Mary Thomas, then pharmacy director at Sheridan Community Hospital, was concerned about the negative impact that improperly stored and improperly disposed medication was having on the health of our citizens and the environment. This realization prompted her to take action to address the need for safe medication disposal in Montcalm County. She gathered representatives from many local organizations, including the hospitals, law enforcement (including Barnwell), local government, the health department, concerned citizens, and others to begin to tackle the issue.

Not long after this initial meeting the Medication Disposal Coalition was born with

the mission of providing education and resources for proper disposal of medications in an effort to protect our environment, prevent childhood poisonings and reduce substance abuse.

On Oct. 20, 2010, the Medication Disposal Coalition held its first medication take back day at the Mid-Michigan District Health Department in Stanton, where a total of 339 pounds of medication was collected. This was one of the first grassroots led medication take-back days in Michigan, which is something the group is very proud of.

The Medication Disposal Team continued to hold periodic take-back days but quickly realized the need to provide Montcalm County residents with easy, everyday access to medication disposal. By the fall of 2012, the group had purchased medication drop boxes and placed them in the lobbies of the Sheriff’s Department in Stanton, and police stations in Carson City, Howard City, Lakeview and Greenville Department of Public Safety. 

In 2012, the Medication Disposal Team joined Drug Free Montcalm. This move provided access to much needed funding, which allowed this important work to continue. In 2014, Drug Free Montcalm became Youthink Montcalm, which then became the MPC in 2017. That’s a lot of change in short period of time, but MPC is here to stay and is committed to reducing substance use throughout Montcalm County, especially in youth.

In 2016, Montcalm Prevention Collaborative partnered with the Mid-Michigan District Health Department and later with Spectrum Health United and Kelsey Hospitals to offer sharps disposal to residents and began distributing Narcan kits in conjunction with Montcalm Care Network.

To learn more about MPC, how you can become involved, or when the next medication disposal drop-off event will be, visit montcalmprevention.org.

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