Broadway Prescription Adds Poison Prevention Packaging

The Personal Pack from Broadway Prescription Shop helps reduce accidental poisoning by packaging each dose by date and time.

National Poison Prevention Week, which occurs the third week of March, began in Cape Girardeau more than fifty years ago at Broadway Prescription Shop. It was created locally by original owner and pharmacist, Homer George, and designated to be a national observance by President John F. Kennedy. To mark the 52nd National Poison Prevention Week March 16-22, Broadway Prescription Shop now offers the Personal Pack, designed to reduce the chance of accidental poisoning.

The Personal Pack contains all medications for one month in a pop-out bubble pack. Each dosage is labeled by date and time, so the patient or caregiver can see in a glance if each dose has been taken. Broadway Prescription Shop will package all of a patient's daily medications in a monthly Personal Pack at no extra charge.

Current pharmacist and co-owner Kevin Wood explains: "Most accidental poisonings involve children, but many seniors take multiple medications. Having more medications to manage increases the opportunity to experience accidental poisoning. Usually this occurs through improper dosage of medicines and drug interactions. About one in ten can require hospitalization, and we strive to do all we can to prevent that."

To further reduce the possibility of accidental poisoning due to drug interaction Broadway Prescription Shop also offers MedReview, a free review of a patient's medications. MedReviews take place in the privacy of the Broadway Wellness Room at the pharmacy during business hours. Broadway pharmacists also will offer free MedReviews at the Cape Senior Center March 18th and 20th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to bring in all medications and supplements for review, even those who are not senior citizens.

More than two million poisonings are reported each year to the 57 poison control centers across the country. More than 90 percent of these poisonings occur in the home, half of them in children under five. The goal of National Poison Prevention Week is to raise awareness of the dangers of accidental poisonings. Poison prevention tips can be found at www.Broadwaypharm.com and on the pharmacy's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/broadwayprescriptionshop?ref=tn_tnmn.

If you think someone has been poisoned from a medicine or household chemical, call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. This national toll-free number works from any U.S. location any time of the day or night every day of the year.