MUNISING — The Luce-Mackinac-Alger-Schoolcraft District Health Department will hold “Take Back Medication Day” events later this month.

The department has partnered with local sheriffs’ offices, Communities that Care Coalitions, the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network and the Eastern Upper Peninsula Opioid Response Coalition to create district-wide health and safety events. Medication Take Back Day addresses a crucial public health and safety issue by providing safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, the department said in a news release.

This free program is anonymous, and no questions will be asked.

The events will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Youth Center Building in Manistique, next to the ice rink; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 29 at Garfield Township Hall, Engadine; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the clinic entrance at Helen Newberry Joy Hospital in Newberry; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29 at Eden Church in Munising.

Items to be accepted are: all pills, capsules, patches, inhalers, sharps, lancets and pet/veterinary medicines

Blood lead data

Also, blood lead data for Michigan children with elevated blood lead levels are now available online through Michigan Environmental Public Health Tracking (MiTracking) for those with a blood lead level of 3.5ug/dL and higher. Previously, data had been available for blood lead levels of 5 ug/dL and higher.

The BLRV is used to identify children with higher levels of lead in their blood compared to 97.5% of children in the United States.

The BLRV is not health-based but is used as a tool to identify children who need public health services and further medical evaluation. It is also used to prioritize communities that need interventions to reduce lead exposure. There is no safe level of lead in blood.Individuals can explore the childhood lead data on the MiTracking data portal at Michigan.gov/MiTracking. Michigan data are available at the state, county, local health department, and zip code levels. Data is available from 2010 through 2021.

Visit Michigan.gov/MiLeadSafe for more information.