Group Takes Old Drugs Saturday

Flushing or throwing away unwanted or expired medications are not viable options according to a local environmental official. However, but many local residents are unsure of how to get rid of their old drugs.

In an effort to help and educate the public, the Southwestern PA Household Hazardous Waste task force will be hosting a collection for expired or unwanted pharmaceuticals this weekend. The goal of this collection is to avoid continued pollution of the region's waterway when these drugs are flushed down the toilet. Pennsylvania Resource Council Director Dave Mazza says the pollution of water from pharmaceuticals has increased.

“Recently testing has been going on, a lot of water quality testing around the country, and a lot of these pharmaceuticals are showing up in water testing samples,” Mazza says. “We know that more people today are taking prescription medications than at any other time in recent history.”

Mazza says that the water treatment plants lack the ability to recognize these substances and cannot purify them either.

The collection, held Saturday, October 23 from 9 am to 1 pm, provides an opportunity to residents to dispose of prescription, over-the-counter, and veterinary medications in the proper way for a $3.00 registration fee. The task force will be collecting both prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building, in order to dispose of them properly. Law enforcement will be on hand to ensure the proper handling of any controlled medications.

“You do not want to have these medications laying around the home or dispose of them improperly,” Mazza says. “This event gives people the opportunity to safely and conveniently dispose of these pharmaceuticals.”

Registration must be done ahead of time either online or by calling 412-488-7452.

Health Care Center Receives Stimulus Funds

The Squirrel Hill Health Center (SHHC) has been chosen as one of 85 community health centers in the country to receive stimulus funds from the federal Recovery Act.
The health center will receive $792,700, which will be directed toward the renovations and construction of an oral health care center for uninsured and underserved residents of Western Pennsylvania.
CEO Susan Friedberg Kalson says the center had an oral healthcare center in its plans since it opened three and a half years ago, but did not have the funds to build it. She says the money will cover construction and renovation costs, but will not cover operating expenses. She says the center has begun applying for more funds to cover those costs as well.
Kalson says the center will provide care for people with no dental insurance on a sliding fee scale, which means patients will be evaluated based on household income. There will be a minimum fee per service. She says care will also be provided for people with insurance, mostly for those with MediCaid because it is especially difficult for those people to receive dental care. She says not only will this benefit people in need of care, but it will also create jobs in construction, renovation and permanent positions once the center is completely finished. The center has partnered with area social service agencies and dental advisory groups made up of community dentists. She says they are looking forward to working with their community partners to make this happen. Kalson says there is an incredible need for increased dental services in our area.

State Extends Insurance to 29-year-olds

Pennsylvania residents may now be able to stay on their parents’ health insurance policies until age 30 thanks to a new law that went into effect yesterday. 40% of Pennsylvania’s estimated one million uninsured residents are in their twenties, and Insurance Department officials say the new law may provide coverage for 15-thousand of them. Until this week, the cutoff for dependents on family health insurance policies was 19, but that’s now been bumped up to 29. Insurance Department spokeswoman Rosanne Placey says people interested in the shift should call their employers. She says, “Your family member who has the insurance should contact their benefits administrator to determine whether or not they’re expanding coverage to include this adult child benefit. If they are, find out when the child will become eligible. When are they going through another open enrollment renewal cycle?” Placey notes employers aren’t required to provide family coverage, so some companies may not decide to offer insurance for the twenty-something children of employees. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the recession has hit job seekers under thirty particularly hard. The Bureau says 14.8% of 20 to 24 year-olds are unemployed.