PO - Improve Safe Storage of Prescription Drugs

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Examples of a Description for this Objective

In addition to reducing prescriptions and taking back or destroying unused opioids, our community must work together to make sure that all opioids that are being legitimately prescribed and used are securely locked up. The path to Opioid Use Disorder frequently starts with experimentation with easily-available, unsecured prescription drugs, and the early stages of misuse involves drugs taken from unlocked medicine cabinets or drawers. (Find local statistics if possible.)

 

Examples of a From-To Gap

Current State	Desired State
People wanting to obtain prescription drugs know that they are in many homes, and they are rarely locked, so they look for opportunities to steal them--at open houses, breaking in to homes, or visiting people and looking into their medicine cabinets.	Because there is widespread community awareness on the importance of securely storing (or disposing of) prescription drugs, and because few people have prescription drugs unlocked, efforts to steal drugs goes down dramatically.
Many youth come across unsecured prescription drugs and steal them to use or to sell to others.	Most prescription drugs in the community are locked up, so youth don't have the opportunity take them or try using them. It is much more difficult for kids to find pills to experiment with our misuse in their own homes or in homes of friends or strangers.
Many people who have prescription drugs in their home don't purchase secure storage products because they lack the information and money they need to get the products.	Good information about different options is available from trusted sources, and special purchasing programs and subsidy programs makes it much more affordable for people to get the safe storage products.
Information on the importance of safe storage and disposal is only available in English, but many people being prescribed opioids are not able to read English.	Clear and consistent guidance about safe storage options of prescription drugs is provided in ways that are appropriate for all populations including those with low literacy and non-English speakers, and are consistent across all sources — the prescriber, the pharmacist, in the drug packaging materials for patients, and in community campaigns.
We have a coalition project to promote safe storage of prescription drugs, and it is having a positive impact, but we are not reaching as many people as we would hope to reach. Even though we are increasing safe storage practices, there are still FAR too many prescription drugs that are not secured.	We have engaged a broad number of community partners to raise awareness on safe storage, and the combination of education and special purchasing programs has impacted far more households, so now it is rare in our community to have prescription drugs that are not safely stored.