Greetings from the road! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with Chief Sean Marschke of the Sturtevant Police Department in Sturtevant, Wisconsin. As part of the American Medicine Chest Challenge's nationwide efforts, the department is currently hosting a permanent collection site, one of 28 sites in Wisconsin and over 2,000 nationwide. While I was there, the Chief told me that the collection site has received hundreds of pounds of unused, unwanted, and expired prescription drugs. This is great news, but there’s still work to be done.

The American Medicine Chest Challenge remains committed to its goal of eliminating prescription drug abuse in our country. It’s a lofty goal, but we’ve boiled it down to 5 easy steps:

- Take inventory of your prescription and over-the-counter medicines

- Secure your medicine

- Dispose of your unused, unwanted, and expired prescription drugs at an American Medicine Chest Challenge Disposal site.

- Take your medicine exactly as prescribed.

- Talk to your children about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

With the DEA announcing that they will no longer be hosting their national day of disposal and collection, it is now more important than ever that residents stay vigilant in making sure they follow these important steps. Of course, the American Medicine Chest Challenge will continue its tradition of hosting its National Day of Disposal on the second Saturday of every November. We are also proud to partner with the DEA on an Rx collection event called "Spring Clean Your Medicine Cabinet" on April 25th. On this day, we encourage everyone to take stock of their medicine cabinets and dispose of their unused medications. In order to truly solve the riddle of prescription drug abuse, we must all come together and do our part.

If you are unable to participate in the Spring Cleaning event, there are plenty of opportunities to dispose of your unused medications throughout the year. The American Medicine Chest Challenge hosts a national directory of thousands of permanent collection sites across the country. To find a location close to you, visit americanmedicinechest.com or download our free mobile app, Rx Drop.

Thank you to our friends and partners at the Sturtevant Police Department and at police departments across the country for your continued support! Together we can end this epidemic once and for all.