Poison Prevention Week March 17-23

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The Blue Ridge Poison Center urges “Protect Your Prescription” during National Poison Prevention Week March 17-23.
The Blue Ridge Poison Center at the University of Virginia Health System is honoring National Poison Prevention Week this week, a week designated to highlight the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them. 
The center is urging the public to take steps to protect prescription medicines from falling into the wrong hands.
“Unfortunately, medicine theft is a real concern right now,” says Kristin Wenger, education coordinator for the BRPC. “Medicines are the  No. 1 source of poisoning for children, teens, and adults. Proper storage and awareness of the medicines in your home is important to insure they don’t become part of the problem and fall into the wrong hands.” The ‘wrong hands’ might be a curious child, a teen who is experimenting with substances of abuse, or an adult with an opioid addiction.”
Wenger offers these tips:
— Keep track of your pills. Be able to notice if any are missing, or if they suddenly look different.
— Store prescription medicines in a secret place known only to you. Consider using a lock box, available online or at any pharmacy. If young children are present, make sure the storage location is up high, out of their reach.
— Remove or scratch out labels on prescription bottles before tossing into the trash.
Some pill thieves rummage through garbage to find homes or people to target.
In 2018, the BRPC handled nearly 22,000 calls about poisons or poison exposures.