Dayton Children’s said more than 400 children and teens have been rushed in so far this year due to ingesting something they shouldn’t.
One of the most recent incidents happened when a student at a school on West Riverview Avenue in Dayton swallowed a relative’s prescription medication.
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News Center 7’s Mike Campbell spoke with people at Dayton Children’s about how to stop this threat. Hear more about this alarming trend on News Center 7, starting at 5.
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It’s all about prevention education. Almost all of us have prescription medication in our homes that children and grandchildren shouldn’t get into. If they do, there’s a good chance they will end up in the emergency room.
Dispatchers sent police and medics to Dayton Leadership Academy on May 7. First responders and school leaders identified four fourth-grade students who swallowed pills.
Their investigation revealed the pills belonged to the brother of one of the students. The serious health reactions hospitalized one of the fourth graders.
Abbey Pettiford is an injury prevention outreach supervisor at Dayton Children’s. “It’s a dangerous situation. We never want kids to be able to do that.”
Pettiford said almost everyone has prescription medications in their home. The first step to stop problems is prevention.
“The best way to prevent this from happening in the future is to lock that medication up or store it up away and out of sight,” Pettiford said.
The incident that happened at the school is not isolated.
Dayton Children’s said staff have dealt with 444 cases of ingestions, swallowing dangerous items, just this year. That’s three a day, and why the educational part is also so important.
“Having those conversations with your preteens and teens when they’re ready to take those medications on their own and again, only take your own prescribed medication, we’re not taking other people’s prescriptions,” Pettiford said.
The students who were checked out are fine. School leaders said the student who brought the pills does face discipline for violating school policies.
Dayton area drop box locations:
- Kettering Police Department - 3600 Shroyer Road
- Montgomery Co. Sheriff’s Office - 345 W. Second Street, Dayton
- Dayton Police Departments (various) - 248 Salem Avenue, 2721 Wayne Avenue, 335 W. Third Street
- Washington Twp. Substation - 8190 McEwen Road
- Clayton Government Center - 6996 Taywood Road
- Huber Heights Police - 6121 Taylorsville Road
- Brookville Police Department - 301 Sycamore Street
- Vandalia Police Department - 245 James Bohanan Drive
- Walgreens Pharmacy - Various locations
- CVS Pharmacy - Various Locations
>> Previous Report: 9-year-old hospitalized after group of minors take pills at Dayton school
>> Previous Report: 4th grader brings pills to Dayton school; Administrators investigating
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