Monroe County Commissioners’ Chairman John Moyer and Vice Chairman Charles Garris want to get drug drop-off boxes at area pharmacies.

Moyer said they have been sharing their concerns with commissioners from both Pike and Carbon Counties and that they hope to influence other elected officials to take up the cause in Harrisburg. Commissioner John Christy was absent from the meeting, but is in support of the cause.

“Pharmacies are reluctant to add drop boxes in their stores, and we want to encourage them to increase the number,” Moyer said. “After all, it is the pharmacies that make money off selling opioids. They fill a prescription for 30 Percocet and you only use three or four. They should make it easy to get rid of the rest.”

Garris pointed out that Washington state had passed legislation titled “Secure Drug Take-Back Act” in March.

“Washington is a liberal state, but this is one area where I agree with them wholeheartedly,” Garris said after the meeting.

Garris has forwarded an article to local lawmakers for review.

The article, written by Margaret Shield, a staff writer for the National Association of Counties, outlines not only the Washington state law, but what county officials in other states are doing to engage their state official in the fight for the safe depositing of unwanted and expired drugs.

Monroe County has also joined a class-action suit against the manufacturers of opioids in an effort to recover some of the high cost of drug addiction that affects the county.

Other business

A public meeting was also held on Tuesday regarding the 2018 Emergency Assistance Grant Application.

The commissioners approved the application which will serve county residents in danger of becoming homeless or who have become homeless. The matching grant request is in the amount of $687,402 and will be divided among the following agencies:

• Family Promise of Monroe County for rapid rehousing, homeless prevention and emergency shelter

• Resources for Human Development Inc. for rapid rehousing, street outreach, emergency shelter

• The Salvation Army for emergency shelter

• Catholic Social Services for emergency shelter operations and essential services

• Women’s Resources of Monroe County for emergency shelter operations and essential services

The commissioners also approved purchase of service agreements for Monroe County Children and Youth from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018, with the following:

• Valley Youth House: $18,000

• National Mentor Care LLC: $85,000

• Diversified Treatment Alternatives Inc.: $180,000

Purchase of Service Agreements were also approved for Loftus Vergari and Associates for July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, in the amount of $30,000, for Valley Youth House for July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, for $18,000, and Affinity Forensic Services for the periods of July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, and July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, each in the amount of $50,000.

Moyer noted that the dates on the agreements are often one to two years in the past since the county cannot approve the agreements until after the state has completed its review process.