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Question: My brother died in April. I still have a whole bag of his medications, nine or 10 different prescriptions, that I want to dispose of properly. But no one will take them. I asked the ER, the hospital and a couple of pharmacies. I don’t want to just throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet, but I also don’t want to keep them around the house. We have kids, and you never know what they will get into. Is there anyplace that will take these pills?
Answer: Condolences on the loss of your brother. The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is coming up on Sept. 26, a Saturday. There will be at least a dozen Hawaii sites where people can drop off unwanted prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which sponsors the event.
Collection sites on Oahu will include the state Capitol, Kahala Mall, Windward Mall, the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange and Mililani High School parking lot, among others. There also will be collection sites on Maui, Kauai and Hawaii island.
For the location nearest you, go online to 808ne.ws/1NkZMMS and click on "Locate a Collection Site," or call 800-882-9539 during regular business hours (Eastern time).
The event aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of discarding unwanted, unneeded or expired prescription drugs, while raising awareness about the health and environmental risks of having such drugs around. These risks include abuse by people not prescribed to take the drugs, accidental poisonings and overdoses, and potential contamination of watersheds and ecosystems if medication is flushed down the toilet or tossed in the garbage.
"Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem, and this is a great opportunity for folks around the country to help reduce the threat," DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg said in promoting the upcoming event. "Please clean out your medicine cabinet and make your home safe from drug theft and abuse."
Q: Who is the woman on all of Hawaiian Telcom’s TV commercials? Where did she come from?
A: Jennifer Fairbank was born and raised in Honolulu, graduated from Punahou School and went to college in Los Angeles, where she studied psychology at Loyola Marymount University.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in 2001, Fairbank returned to Honolulu and entered beauty pageants, winning the Miss Hawaii USA 2005 title and competing in the national Miss USA pageant.
With the end of her state reign, she returned to the mainland to work as a model, study acting and pursue showbiz opportunities. She returned to Oahu about three years ago, wanting to be closer to her family; she and her husband, Sam Chillingworth, have a 6-month-old daughter.
Fairbank has continued to act and model, appearing in commercials and an episode of "Hawaii Five-0." She’s been the face of Hawaiian Telcom since May 2014, busy with the company’s radio, television, print and social media promotions. In her free time, Fairbank said, she enjoys surfing and practicing yoga.
Auwe
Auwe to the person who left a dog inside a truck in front of a store on Ward Avenue this week around noon. Isn’t there a law about that? Doggone it, make better arrangements if you’re going shopping where they don’t allow pets. — A concerned citizen
Mahalo
I want to extend a big mahalo to the police officer who came to our rescue when our car wouldn’t start. After a long evening he stayed on his own time to help us. Being an officer nowadays must be very challenging. I’m quite sure they are not compensated adequately for the risks they often face. Let’s all be grateful for the work they do to keep us safe. Officer Nakama is truly an example of Hawaii’s finest! — Mahalo again, Dee
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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