Prosecutor office staff are currently distributing warning cards to county funeral homes for distribution by funeral directors during memorial service counseling sessions.
Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato, in conjunction with funeral homes and directors in the county, announced last week a proactive awareness program aimed at alerting grieving family members and loved ones of the inherent dangers of unused prescription medications.
Prosecutor office staff are currently distributing warning cards to county funeral homes for distribution by funeral directors during memorial service counseling sessions.
The cards serve to alert grieve-stricken individuals of the need to dispose of unused medications that may be left in the home of the deceased person. The cards seek to gently explain to the families that misuse of prescription drugs has become a major problem in our county due to the ongoing opiate/heroin epidemic.
The cards also provide the specific location of the four established prescription drug drop off boxes that are currently up and running in Ocean County. It is the hope of county officials that these unused medications will be disposed of at the designated drop off points so that they do not get into the hands of those who would use or sell them illegally.
Another overlooked fact is the danger of disposing unused prescription medications down the sink or toilet. The presence of hundreds of unregulated pharmaceuticals and other manmade chemicals in the nation’s surface, ground, waste and drinking water is becoming increasingly well documented.
There will be an additional five locations added to the funeral cards within the next few months pending permit application clearances and on-site inspections of those locations by the Attorney General’s Office. Updated cards will be prepared as the additional facilities are brought online.
To receive information on the program, call Ocean County Prosecutor Agent Michael Colwell at 732-929-2027, ext. 4287.