WHY SAFE MEDICINE DISPOSAL FOR ME?

The state of Maine has experienced and documented the consequences of unused prescription medicine remaining in circulation. In 2002, nearly 90% of all drug deaths in Maine were caused by prescription medicine (Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Substance Abuse, 2005). In addition, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency arrests for prescription medicine misuse or diversion have increased dramatically to 16% of all arrests (Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Substance Abuse, 2005).

To learn more about the need for a safe medicine disposal program, click here to view the Detailed Fact Sheet

Safe Medicine Disposal for ME represents the first program of its kind in the nation. The Center on Aging and its statewide and national partners have received funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to implement a prescription medicine disposal program by mail. This program will provide postage-paid envelopes and participant surveys to older adults and caregivers throughout Maine.

For an overview of the program, click here to view the Program Summary

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF SAFE MEDICINE DISPOSAL FOR ME?

This innovative program has three key objectives:

1. Create a centralized mail-in collection point for disposal of unused medicine, allowing researchers to analyze the type and quantity of medicine that is accumulating in the homes of older adults in Maine.

2. Pilot-test a model of medicine disposal by mail at a manageable level during Phase I that will allow for program refinement prior to implementing a statewide program of medicine disposal by mail as part of Phase II.

3. Develop an educational outreach campaign to inform Maine’s older adults and caregivers about the risks to keeping unused medicine in the home, as well as the benefits of safe medicine disposal.

WHAT ARE THE TWO PHASES?

Safe Medicine Disposal for ME will be implemented in two distinct phases:

• In Phase I, one thousand eight hundred (1,800) postage-paid envelopes will be made available to consumers through distribution centers at ten participating pharmacies in four Maine counties: Aroostook, Cumberland, Kennebec, and Penobscot. These counties were selected for their geographic diversity, access to rural and urban communities, and demographic variation of residents (age, socioeconomics, education, culture, lifestyle, etc.). Participants will use these envelopes to send unused and unwanted medications to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency for cataloging and proper disposal.

• Phase II includes the statewide implementation of Safe Medicine Disposal for ME and will incorporate refinements based upon review and evaluation of Phase I experience. Using a statewide network of approximately 75 participating pharmacies in the 16 counties, seven thousand two hundred (7200) envelopes will be made available. Public communications will be utilized in this phase to encourage individuals to go to the participating pharmacies for the purpose of picking up and using the medicine disposal envelopes.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MEDICINE?

All envelopes with the unused medicine and completed surveys will be returned to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency for safe storage. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency will oversee the cataloging and disposal of returned medicine.

Click here to view the Medicine Catalog Form

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SURVEY?

Each medicine disposal envelope includes a Participant Survey and Survey Instructions and Informed Consent. The survey is designed to assess the type of returned medicine and reason for its return. It was developed based upon a model created by the Community Medical Foundation for Patient Safety.
Click here to view or print the Participant Survey

Click here to view or print the Survey Instructions and Informed Consent

Surveys will be collected by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and returned to the Center on Aging for analysis. Information collected will include basic demographic data, the source of medicine that was returned in the program envelope, identification of contents, reasons for returning the medicine, and an evaluative assessment of the usefulness of the project.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT THE RESULTS OF THIS PROGRAM?

Information about the amount and type of medicine that was returned will be available on the program website in fall 2008. In addition, a best practices guidebook will be developed for use by other states to implement this tested methodology elsewhere. Best practice replication workshops will be offered at the annual International Symposium on Pharmaceuticals in the Home and Environment:
Catalysts for Change conference held in Maine. Related papers will be presented at national professional conferences, and results will be published in professional environmental protection, pharmaceutical, aging, drug enforcement, and substance abuse journals.

WANT MORE INFORMATION?

View the Safe Medicine Disposal for ME Program Brochure
View Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Or call the Safe Medicine Disposal for ME Program Helpline at: 1-866-637-9743