Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | September 2019

HEALTHY 2 Let your voice be heard! The Alliance offers several different ways for members like you to let us know how we are doing and how we can improve. One of them is through our Member Services Advisory Group meetings. Some of the people who go to this meeting are Alliance members. Others are people who work in agencies and programs that provide services to Alliance members. Through the advisory group, we are able to hear from our members and people who serve our members. The Alliance will use this information to help us better understand what our members think, want and need. Any Alliance member, or parent of a child who is an Alliance member, can join the advisory group. There are four (4) meetings a year. The meetings are in our offices in Santa Cruz, Merced and Monterey counties. As an advisory group participant, you can get $50 for attending each meeting. If you would like more information or an application to join, please call (800) 700‑3874, ext. 5567 or visit our website at www.ccah-alliance.org/ boardmeeting.html . Did you know? Human medications are the number one cause of pet poisoning. What can you do? ●  ● Keep all medications in the original containers in which you received them. ●  ● Store medications in a locked box, locked pouch or locked drawer, safely away from children and pets. Containers that lock can be purchased from your local pharmacy, retail stores or online. ●  ● Never share prescriptions with anyone. This is illegal and may be deadly. ●  ● When medications are no longer needed or wanted or if they expire, get rid of them as soon as possible. ●  ● Do not get rid of medications in the sink or toilet. How to dispose of medications safely First choice: Locate a medication drop-off location near you. We can help! Visi t www.ccah -alliance.org/drugs.html and look under “Quick Reference Guides.” Second choice: Ask for a free, prepaid envelope from National Safety Council to put your medications in and mail it at any post office. Visit: safety.nsc.org/stop -everyday-killers-supplies . Third choice: Throw away your medications at home by using a no-cost disposal kit from a pharmacy or follow the instructions on this website: epa.gov/sites/ production/files/2015-06/ documents/how-to-dispose -medicines.pdf . Almost 40 % of medications sold to patients end up not being used. More than 70 % of people who take pain medications that they did not get from a doctor got them from family or friends. Drug overdose is the top cause of accidental deaths in the United States. How to keep your medications safe