Five Reasons to Take Back Your Unused Medications at Saturday’s Take Back Event

If you are like most people, you have unused medications in your home. Prescriptions that you no longer need to take. Over-the-counter medications past their effective dates. Half-empty bottles that are just taking up space.

But that’s not all they are doing. They can pose a real danger in many households with children who often can open the “child-proof” bottle better than many adults or where the threat of prescription drug abuse is possible.

1. Child safety – Take a look at many medications and you will see how much they look like candy. ExLax in its chocolate form is a perfect example. Sudafed looks like cinnamon red hots. Any coated tablet can look like a coated candy like M&M’s.

2. Reducing confusion on which medication is current and correct. This is especially important for older adults who may take a few different prescriptions during the day. Accidental overdose can happen when dosages are changed, or a new prescription is introduced that is not compatible with another prescription. Take back those that are no longer needed.

3. Reducing the risk of prescription drug abuse – Prescription drug abuse is very prevalent. If you are sharing your medications with others and that medication is not prescribed to that individual, it can be very harmful. Do not share. Pain killers, sedatives, and stimulants can be highly addictive and can also find their way into being sold on the street.

4. Avoiding environmental hazards – According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who sponsors these events nationwide, more than 780,000 pounds of unused and unwanted drugs were collected across the nation during the 2014 spring collection alone. Over the past four years, these take back events have collected an extraordinary 4.1 million pounds. And if we just throw this bottle in the trash or just flush these few down the toilet… 2,213 tons of prescription and over the counter medication in our water supply is an environmental nightmare to be avoided.

5. Making sure that what’s left in the medicine cabinet is exactly what is needed.  It’s time to take stock. Cold and flu season is just around the corner and fall allergy season is in full swing. Inventory what you have. Check the expiration dates and avoid taking those that have passed their effective dates. Pull out everything you do not use and take them for disposal.

GRMC and the Grinnell Police Department are working with the US DEA on this take back event on Saturday, September 27, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Grinnell Public Safety Building. Just drive up and hand the items over for safe disposal. They don’t have the capability to accept syringes, needles, or lancets, however. Any pills, powders, capsules either prescription or over-the-counter will be taken.

Be Proud to Get Tagged! It’s GRMC Auxiliary Tag Day!

Aux.il.ia.ry –adjective  

Providing supplementary or additional help and support.

(The Oxford Dictionary)

Yellow tags will flutter everywhere on Friday, September 19, when the GRMC Auxiliary hosts its annual Tag Day. This event has been a tradition for 90 years where area residents are asked to make a donation in exchange for the bright yellow tags.

The tradition of Tag Day began in the 1920s as a fundraiser for Grinnell General Hospital. It started as “Balloon Day” and all contributors received a brightly colored balloon. Downtown businesses were generous donors and had many balloons decorating their store windows.  Hospital archives note that on the day of the annual event, the city was “blooming with balloons.” It was not until the days of World War II and the shortage of rubber that paper tags replaced the colorful balloons.

Tag Day supports the auxiliary’s projects every year as they have for generations. Funding for the Grinnell Regional Babies Room program for new mothers, hospital tours with area first-graders, and an extensive healthcare scholarship program are among the ongoing projects supported by the auxiliary. This is all done in addition to their goal to be a positive influence on the patient experience at GRMC through patient and volunteer services.

Additionally, Tag Day and all GRMC Auxiliary fundraisers help them raise funds toward their pledge of $150,000 for the Moving at the Speed of Life campaign.

Area residents from all the communities in the GRMC service area are encouraged to stop at participating businesses or collection places to make a donation. Tables will be set up in Brooklyn, Grinnell, Montezuma, Toledo, and Victor. Tags will be sold at GRMC clinics in Lynnville, in Toledo at Deer Creek Health Center, and in Victor. Patriot Bank in Brooklyn will have volunteers selling tags. In Grinnell, look for auxiliary members at GRMC, Casa Margaritas,  Fareway, HyVee, Lonnski’s, McNally’s, Medicap Pharmacy, Pioneer Bookstore, Pizza Ranch, Post Office, Saints Rest, Walmart.

Top facts you need to know about Enterovirus EV-D68

Talk about a rotten way to start the school year! A nasty respiratory virus is making kids sick across the region. Officially, it is known as Enterovirus EV-D68. It’s not a new virus or strain. It’s been around for many years but healthcare providers are seeing an unusual spike in cases right now, particularly in children. Like any other virus, children who may live with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, are experiencing the worst of it and have had to be hospitalized.

The virus starts out with symptoms similar to that of a common cold and then can cause wheezing and issues with breathing.  There are no anti-viral medications that are effective on enteroviral infections so treating the symptoms and providing comfort measures while it takes its course is the only way to go.

Why now at the beginning of the school year?

It’s not uncommon to see a spike in illnesses after summer and winter breaks. All it takes is one infected student to come to school and start spreading the virus around, just like a lot of other illnesses. We see it around the holidays, too, when groups of people come together inside and sneeze, and cough, and spread the love.

What can I do to stay well?

Enteroviruses affect the gastrointestinal tract, so it spreads through fecal matter on hands that have not been thoroughly cleaned. So…

1.     Keep your hands clean – Wash hands often with soap and water for as long as it takes you to sing the alphabet or sing “Happy Birthday.” This is an excellent way to teach kids about washing hands.

2.     Keep your hands to yourself and if your hands are not clean, avoid touching your nose, mouth, eyes. Don’t eat without washing your hands thoroughly and be sure to wash your hands after touching surfaces in a public place such as at school, work, or the grocery store.

3.     Keep things clean – counters, door knobs, toys. High touch items in your home and in places where you spend time.

4.     Keep food-related things clean – Be sure all surfaces for food prep are as clean as you can keep them. This includes not sharing utensils, plates, or cups.

5.     Keep to yourself – try to avoid kissing and hugging those who are ill. Easier said than done when you have sick little ones who crave cuddling.

What if I am sick or if one of my children are sick?

1. STAY HOME. There’s just simply no other way around it.

2. Prevent spreading it around your family and friends by following the list of good hygiene activities listed above.

3. Seek medical attention if you or your child has difficulty breathing or begin wheezing. This is especially important if you already have asthma or live with respiratory illnesses.

4. Rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat a healthy and balanced diet, and call your doctor if you are concerned.

Keep this list handy because seasonal influenza is waiting in the wings. Public seasonal flu vaccine clinics through Grinnell Regional Public Health begin on September 22.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone six months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. While there are many different flu viruses, the seasonal flu vaccine is designed to protect against the top four flu viruses that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season.

Children aged six months through eight years who are receiving the vaccine for the first time need two doses of vaccine. They should receive the first dose as soon as possible to allow time to get the second dose before the start of flu season. The two doses should be given at least four weeks apart.

Officials say that most people who pick up this current enterovirus will not be affected any more than they would if they caught a good old cold.  Seasonal influenza packs a bigger punch for a wider group of individuals and has the potential to make those infected pretty ill. Typically, a full-blown case of seasonal influenza can take as long as two weeks to recover from. 

Bottom line – always practice good hygiene, get your flu vaccine, stay home if you are ill.

For more information:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2014/09/08/enterovirus-crops-up-in-iowa-can-be-risky-for-kids/15284863/

http://www.idph.state.ia.us/IdphNews/Reader.aspx?id=6B8130B2-7FBC-4C12-BF62-6DFE260D00CA

http://now.uiowa.edu/keywords/enterovirus

http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/prevention-treatment.html

12 Ways to Make Your Home Safe for Young Children

We all know how inquisitive and curious little ones can be. It’s astounding how quickly they can manage to find their way into things that we didn’t even realize could be an issue.

If you have babies or young children in your home on a regular basis, it’s time for a hands and knees tour around the house. Whether your baby is becoming mobile or if you have young children who visit your home, it’s very much worth your time to really assess how toddler and child-friendly your home is. With two and a half million children visiting our nation’s emergency rooms and urgent care centers with preventable injuries annually, safe spaces are important. While we can’t prevent all accidents, we can certainly manage the risk.

According to the National Safety Council, mechanical suffocation and suffocation by ingested objects cause the most home-related fatalities to children 0-4 years of age.

Here are 12 things you can do to make your home safer for children:

1. Make sure that a crib in use in your home meets all the current safety standards. Older cribs made before 1974 were not manufactured with these standards. Do not use these older cribs. And, do not donate them, or sell them on a garage sale. They are not simply not safe to use.

2. Install safety latches or locks on cabinet doors and drawers containing items that are potentially harmful for children. Obvious choices are places where household cleansers, medicines – both prescription and over-the-counter, tools and sharp objects are stored. These latches can be purchased in a hardware store or from a retailer that handles baby items. There are a variety of options to meet your needs and install easily.

3. Install a lock or a doorknob cover to prevent children entering a room. If it is possible to simply lock up a room that you do not want a child wandering into without adult supervision, just do so.

4. Make sure that firearms in the home are completely inaccessible to children.

5. Install window guards. Nylon or metal screens on open windows will not stop a child from going through if they are pushing or leaning against the screen. It is not uncommon to hear of a child falling out a second story window accidentally because they have leaned against the window screen. The screen is not strong enough to hold a child in.

6. Use safety netting around a deck or a balcony.

7. Cover outlets not in use. Covers are simple to install and help prevent children from putting their fingers or metal objects into the outlets.

8. Use safety gates to keep children off the stairs and out of rooms when a door cannot be locked.

9. Install an anti-scald device for your shower or bathtub. Setting your water heater to a maximum of 120 degrees will also help avoid accidental scalding.

10. In addition to secure fencing around pools, install safety covers on both pools and outdoor hot tubs to keep children out. Be extra careful with small inexpensive wading pools, too. 

11. Use window treatments with safety tassels and inner cord latches to help prevent strangulation.

12. For everyone in the house, CO2 detectors and working smoke alarms save lives. Period.

It’s not realistic to expect that you can prevent accidents just by giving the child your full attention. You might be surprised at how quickly a child can find themselves in harm’s way even if you are distracted from them for just a moment. Using these simple tips can help you keep them safe.

For more tips on childproofing your home, check out these websites:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/childproof.html#

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Education/Safety-Guides/Kids-and-Babies/Childproofing-Your-Home--12-Safety-Devices-To-Protect-Your-Children/