287 pounds of prescription drugs dropped off during initiative in Westminster
DENVER (KDVR) — The Westminster Police Department revealed 287 pounds of unused/expired medication was dropped off during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 26.
The WPD, which called the initiative a 'success' in a post on X Friday, had asked residents to drop off any unused or expired medication at the Public Safety Center in Westminster on Yates Street.
Colorado men arrested during fentanyl drug bust
Westminster police participated in the semiannual national initiative in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration and had advised residents there would be 'no-questions-asked.'
The WPD provided the final results of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, citing the DEA:
Total law enforcement participants: 4,472
Total collection sites: 4,590
Total weight collected: 620,321 pounds
The WPD was among a number of agencies and pharmacies in the Denver metro area that participated in the initiative, which is conducted every year by the DEA on the last Saturday of April and October.
A total of 10,017 pounds were collected across Colorado, meanwhile, according to the DEA's Rocky Mountain Division.
Outside of the initiative, year-round drop-off locations can also be found online using a DEA Diversion Control Division tool. Coloradans can also find drop-off bins in many doctor's offices, hospitals and pharmacies.
How to toss 'disposable' vapes
While syringes, sharps and illicit substances were not accepted during the event, the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment does have four sharps disposal kiosks available year-round for those at:
Fire station 4 at 19th and Lawrence streets
Governor's Park at East Seventh Avenue and Pennsylvania Street
Lincoln Park at West 13th Avenue and Mariposa Street
MacIntosh Park outside of the Webb Building at West Colfax Avenue and 15th Street
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
9 hours ago
- Fast Company
How to prepare for your digital legacy after death
From family photos in the cloud to email archives and social media accounts, the digital lives of Americans are extensive and growing. According to recent studies by the password management companies NordPass and Dashlane, the average internet user maintains more than 150 online accounts. Individuals produce hundreds of gigabytes of data each year. But few people have plans for what happens to that digital legacy after they die. Unlike physical possessions, online assets often don't pass smoothly from one generation to the next. Loved ones struggle to access important accounts or recover treasured photos. Many families face these challenges while already overwhelmed with grief. Most tech companies haven't kept up with this reality. Fewer than 15% of popular online platforms have clear systems for handling a user's death, and customer support is often limited, according to our new study. As people's 'digital footprints' expand, the lack of planning has become both a practical and emotional burden for families. This is especially true for older adults who may not be aware of the steps required to manage their digital estate. We are an associate professor of information science and a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. We are researching how to design technologies for people engaged in end-of-life planning for their data. First clinic of its kind We realized there was no organization or comprehensive website to help people navigate the technical, privacy, or practical challenges they were facing. In response, we launched what we believe is a first-of-its-kind solution: the Digital Legacy Clinic. Just as writing a will helps manage physical possessions after death, planning your digital legacy ensures that your online life is handled according to your wishes. Our clinic opened in late 2024. The free clinic offers support both to people planning for the end of their digital lives and to those managing the digital estates of loved ones who have died. Led by students and housed in the University of Colorado Boulder's information science department, the clinic operates much like a pro bono law clinic. Community members in the Denver and Boulder areas, as well as from across the country, can contact the clinic for help. First, a person interested in getting support fills out a simple form. Then, a member of the clinic will send a follow-up email to clarify and offer preliminary advice. Since every case is different, often clinic workers will then meet via Zoom with a client to create a personalized plan for them and their family. How the clinic helps The clinic offers guidance on a wide range of digital estate concerns, including setting up digital legacy tools such as trusted contacts on Google and Apple or legacy contacts on Facebook —someone you choose to manage your main profile after you've died. People can also get guidance on how to memorialize or delete social media or other online accounts after a loved one has died. For example, Facebook allows you to either memorialize an account or request its removal. To memorialize it, you'll need to submit a form with the person's name; date of death; proof of passing, such as an obituary; and verify your relationship to the deceased. Including these steps can help your loved ones manage a digital legacy with clarity and care. The clinic also helps people recover and preserve digital assets. That includes photos, videos, emails, and other important documents, such as legal documents stored on a Google Drive. For those who are planning for after they die, the clinic can guide them in creating a digital estate plan. That plan might include inventorying online accounts, documenting login credentials, and leaving instructions for account closure, or determining steps to email the documents to your lawyer. Students supporting their community The ongoing work of the clinic is run entirely by undergraduate and graduate students, who build and maintain the clinic's website, manage the client intake process, and research solutions tailored to each case. For the students, it's a hands-on learning opportunity that connects academic work to real-world needs. The experience is also professionally valuable. Students learn how to communicate complex tech topics with empathy, navigate privacy laws, and manage sensitive data responsibly. A resource for older adults While the Digital Legacy Clinic is available to people across the country, its location in Boulder makes it especially accessible to older adults in the Boulder and Denver areas who may prefer or benefit from in-person support. For older adults, the clinic can play a crucial role in helping them organize their digital lives while they're still alive. This can reduce confusion for loved ones later and even help prevent issues such as identity theft or account misuse. Many older adults now maintain extensive online presences, but they may not have the tools or knowledge to ensure their accounts are secure and accessible to people they trust.
Medscape
20 hours ago
- Medscape
The Role of Obesity in Heart Health
Obesity is a serious, chronic condition, and in the US, more than 2 in 5 adults present with it. The disease is often linked to a host of other chronic and dangerous conditions, and according to CDC, obesity accounts for nearly $173 billion in medical expenditures. With numbers like that, it's given you will have patients in your office presenting with obesity. When that happens, one of your chief concerns and topics to address is how obesity affects your patient's heart health. 'Obesity is often called the first domino with respect to cardiometabolic health because when patients are obese, other comorbidities usually exist, such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and metabolic disease,' said Payal Kohli, MD, founder and medical director at Cherry Creek Heart, Aurora, Colorado, and associate professor in the Division of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. 'That is why obesity can increase the risk for poor cardiovascular health through direct as well as indirect mechanisms.' Payal Kohli, MD Obesity's impact on health doesn't end there, either. According to Kohli, other complications related to the condition include elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, inflammation and elevated sympathetic hormones. In aggregate, she said, these compromise endothelial function and result in accelerated atherosclerosis. It also affects obstructive sleep apnea and its severity, said Bradley Serwer, MD, chief medical officer at VitalSolutions. In fact, obesity is one of the main components of the dangerous condition. 'Weight loss may not fix it entirely, but it can have a positive impact,' he said. 'That's often left out of the equation when we talk about the risks of obesity.' With so many detrimental effects from the condition, finding the right approach to helping your patients with obesity is critical. Addressing the Issues At Hand There is a lot of advice you need to give to your patients with obesity, but it all begins with coaching them on lifestyle changes. Gone are the days of diets that lead to yo-yo results and in the end, might cause more harm than good. You need to have the sometimes hard conversations about weight and how to go about losing it. 'Address the issue,' said Serwer. 'Many times, PCPs [primary care physicians] don't want to address the uncomfortable topics, but you must in a diplomatic way. Urge them to consider lifestyle issues and modifications for a long-term, healthy impact.' A comprehensive approach is what's in order. This should include diet, exercise, counseling, and more. 'The cornerstones are exercise and diet, but sometimes engaging these patients is like hitting a brick wall,' said Michael Silverman, MD, a cardiologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine. 'So you have to go about it with baby steps and also figure out what's going on psychologically.' Bradley Serwer, MD This is where therapy and counseling can play a key role. There can be a host of psychological conditions beneath the condition, and it's essential to uncover them. Everything from depression and anxiety to poor home and/or work lives, to past trauma and abuse. For the PCP, it's essential to have the mental health component in mind, and a team of therapists at ready for referring your patients with obesity. One option, too, is a credible obesity clinic. These are set up with a full team ready to treat patients with obesity. From registered dieticians to counselors to physical therapists, a good obesity clinic can offer patients one-stop shopping, removing complicated barriers to accessing the many different clinicians. 'Have these resources ready to go for your obese patients,' said Serwer. 'That way they don't have to make a million different phone calls and get to numerous locations for care. It can be an incredibly valuable resource.' Even with these resources, there's still a role to play. Your counseling approach to patients with obesity needs to have sustainability in mind. 'When talking about diet, help your patients identify easy things to give up,' said Silverman. 'The first thing I'd have them get rid of is fast food — these establishments should be used for the bathroom and coffee and that's it.' Michael Silverman, MD After that, Silverman recommends patients tackle sugary drinks, juices and even diet sodas. Data backs up the fact that artificial sweeteners can trigger hunger and cravings, so address this with your patients. Beyond fast food, highly processed foods and sugary drinks, however, the approach to diet should lean toward additive versus restrictive. 'Give your patients guidance on heart healthy foods, which in turn are weight-loss friendly foods,' said Silverman. The Mediterranean Diet, for instance, is abundant in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. These are all heart-healthy foods and when you coach your patients to try this eating approach, you're giving them a valuable tool for heart health. The approach also features many foods that lead to feelings of fullness, which will help stave off cravings for unhealthier options. Your patient's approach to exercise should likewise begin small and build from there. 'This can look like walking to the mailbox every day, or around the dining room table several times, as a starting point,' said Silverman. 'They can gradually increase their walking duration and eventually the intensity, and by then they should be engaged.' But expect some pushback, Silverman said. 'They will find the barriers, so you have to have answers for that,' he explains. 'If they won't walk, suggest a stationary bike. If they won't bike, try pool walking or water aerobics. There's psychiatry involved here.' Obesity Drugs and Other Tools No conversation surrounding obesity is complete today without addressing the role that GLP-1 drugs — Wegovy, Ozempic and the like — can play. 'Weight loss is instrumental in improving cardiometabolic health and it can have a tremendous impact,' said Kohli. 'Specifically, in clinical trials of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) or GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonists weight loss was associated with an improvement in waist circumference, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and a reduction in blood sugar.' Kohli said the drug class should be considered an integral part of any weight loss toolkit and admits they have become the mainstay of therapy for obesity. 'Newer evidence has shown GLP-1s improve cardiovascular outcomes as well, and reduce adverse kidney outcomes,' she adds. There are some adverse issues surrounding the weight-loss drugs that PCPs should include when counseling and potentially prescribing them to patients, however. 'They address the symptom but still don't get to the root cause of obesity,' Serwer cautions. 'And patients can lose a significant amount of weight, but much of that will come from muscle mass, so they must offset that with strength training.' Other potential pitfalls include GI distress, costs, and potential drug shortages. The drugs can sometimes cause food aversions, too, which isn't helpful when patients are trying to eat better, more nutrient dense diets. 'The biggest problem is that they don't address lifestyle changes,' said Serwer. 'If we don't address that, the weight will eventually come back.' The best news is that with patients with obesity, even small weight loss can have big impact on cardiovascular health. Said Silverman: 'When the weight comes off, patients may be able to go off most of their medications, and that's a huge benefit.'
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Wheat Ridge to allow freestanding emergency care facility to be built on Wadsworth corridor in the Colorado city
At June 9's Wheat Ridge City Council meeting, an ordinance was passed that effectively paved the way for freestanding emergency departments to be built and operate within the city limits. CBS One such area is slated to be on the corner of 38th Street and Wadsworth Boulevard. "(This) for the first time allows freestanding emergency departments to be built in mixed use zones," said Dan Larson, Wheat Ridge's District 4 Councilor. Freestanding emergency departments -- also known as freestanding emergency rooms -- are effectively emergency care facilities not attached to a hospital. If someone is dealing with a life threatening condition, first responders can take them to a facility like this before deciding if they will send them further to a full-service hospital. The condition of giving this lot of land to HCA Healthone, who operate Rose Medical Center in Denver, is that the freestanding ER also be a part of a larger medical campus in the adjacent plaza on 38th. The total size of the lot is about 5 acres. While the ordinance passed in a council meeting on Monday, it wasn't without some resistance from residents and health care professionals. One big issue revolved around individuals' understanding what freestanding ERs actually are. "It cannot and does not provide a level of care to the level of a real hospital and many of your elderly especially at Wheat Ridge," said Douglas Martel, a former cardiologist at Intermountain Lutheran, during public comment. Critiques like his specifically revolved around cardiac emergencies like heart attacks or strokes. Freestanding ERs, he argued, were not capable of handling those types of emergencies the same ways that full service hospitals are and thus might confuse potential patients and lose them precious time to be treated. "If you want to keep excellent care in your community and for your constituents you will oppose this ordinance," Martel advocated. Other issues from residents included billing and insurance coverage as well as accessibility. Freestanding ERs built a reputation in the early 2010s for "being predatory," as Larson put it, to patients with exorbitant costs that they didn't account for until after treatment. Councilman Larson told CBS Colorado that a big reason the freestanding ER was on the table was because of Intermountain Lutheran's move to the west side of town, creating a need for an emergency care center on the east side. Additionally, Larson said, the regulatory standards for these types of clinics had been changed, allowing Wheat Ridge to not worry about having too many of these services in ways others have. "The regulatory environment in the state of Colorado in terms of licensing, in terms of building practices has changed," Larson said. "The city of Wheat Ridge has changed."
