West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, DisposeRx® and Fruth Pharmacy Partner on

Medication Safety and Disposal Campaign

Charleston, WV – The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute Inc. (WV DII), DisposeRx® and Fruth Pharmacy are collaborating to bring a medication safety and disposal campaign to the region. The campaign will take place March 15, 2021 through June 30, 2021 and will include counseling from Fruth pharmacists on proper medication disposal at 28 Fruth locations throughout West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. DisposeRx® at-home medication disposal packets will be distributed upon request.

Activity sheets and coloring pages, provided by the WV DII, will be available for children; and are designed to help adults talk to their kids about medication safety. In addition, WV DII medication safety ambassador, Rex the Rx™, will air LIVE twice—once in April and once in May—via the WV DII website (www.wvdii.org) with special guests. This live Don’t Keep Rx Around™ medication safety program will feature special messages about medication safety for families throughout the tri-state area. Public service announcements will air via local media outlets.

“According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, medicines are the most common poison exposure category in the United States,” explained Dr. Susan Bissett, WV DII President “We also know that 9 out of 10 childhood poisonings occur in the home, so getting unused and expired medications out of homes is paramount to preventing both diversion and accidental overdose.”

Created by WV DII President, Dr. Susan Bissett and CEO of Murphy Media, Joe Murphy, Rex™ is a live-action, real-time generated, cartoon avatar (a pill bottle) designed to help educate young children about the importance of not touching medication without the help of a trusted adult and to never share medications. The WV DII’s Don’t Keep Rx Around™ medication safety program has expanded to reach adult populations regarding proper medication storage and disposal in the home.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with WV DII and Fruth Pharmacy to educate West Virginians about the importance of medication disposal, as well as provide them with our at home disposal solution,” said William Simpson, President of DisposeRx®. “The unintended consequences of unused medications are many—from accidental ingestions to overdoses and suicides, and we are committed to working with community partners to remove those risks.”

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About the Partners

The WVDII is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors and is located in Charleston, West Virginia) with the mission of reducing overdose deaths in West Virginia. DisposeRx®—a North Carolina-based company, is the market leader in at-home medication disposal solutions. Fruth Pharmacy is a family-owned company serving the tri-state area of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. Fruth Pharmacy has been in business since 1952 and has grown to 30 locations.