Disabled military veterans participating in this year’s Trout Unlimited Project Healing Waters received a warm, patriotic welcome as they passed through the county on Tuesday afternoon. County employees stepped outside to join others greeting the special guests, who were escorted through Shinglehouse, Coudersport and Austin enroute to the the First Fork Lodge in Costello. Project Healing Waters is sponsored by the God’s Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishers. Goal is to aid in the veterans’ physical and emotional recovery by introducing or rebuilding the skills of fly fishing and fly tying, and by supporting these skills as lifelong recreation. All activities, services and equipment are provided at no cost, including equipment that accommodates special needs. Participants who are now enjoying their stay in Potter County come from Pennsylvania VA hospitals and are headquartered at Moore’s Run Fish and Game Preserve.
Tons of unwanted prescription drugs are being taken out of the underground marketplace thanks to a national campaign that is literally taking a bite out of crime. Potter County law enforcement officials observed National Drug Take-Back Day with a public relations campaign to encourage the use of designated disposal sites for pills that are coveted by opioid addicts and traffickers. It comes in an era when purses, medicine cabinets and other repositories for prescription drugs are prime targets for thieves and even family members seeking a quick fix or a quick buck. Some prescription painkillers have a street value of $30 per pill.
State police at Denton Hill, local police in Coudersport and Galeton and the Potter County Sheriff’s office have established secure drop-off boxes. Controlled substances, non-controlled substances, over the counter medications and liquid products and creams in their containers are accepted. Syringes or other sharp instruments are prohibited. The program is anonymous; no questions are asked at the disposal sites.
“Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses,†said Potter County District Attorney Andy Watson. “Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Most methods for disposing of unused medicines, such as flushing them down a toilet or throwing them in trash, are bad for the environment and both pose safety and health hazards.â€
Gathering as part of a promotional campaign for the recent National Drug Take-Back Day were, from left: Curt McClain, Coudersport Borough police chief; Matt Baker of Tioga County, regional director of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; and Potter County District Attorney Andy Watson.