The Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition has spearheaded an effort to rid the community of unused medication. Thanks to the hard work of organizations including the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Marcus Police Department, Aurelia Police Department, Cherokee County Public Health, and local community leaders, secure medication drop boxes have been placed in Aurelia, Washta, Quimby, and Cleghorn in Cherokee County with boxes in Marcus, Larrabee, and Meriden coming soon.
In Cherokee County there is a rate of 26 suicides per 100,000 people. In the state of Iowa this rate is 17 per 100,000 people and in the United States it is 14 per 100,000 people according to County Health Rankings. The Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition takes this situation seriously and has been working to come up with evidence-based solutions to reduce the number of deaths by suicide in our community. One way to do this is to limit an individual’s access to ‘lethal means’ which can sometimes be medication being used for purposes other than what it is intended to do.
During open discussion during a Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition meeting in February 2025 on tactics that could be used in Cherokee County to reduce access to these means, it was noted that the 24/7 openly accessible medication drop box located in the town of Cherokee by the Sheriff’s department is regularly full and citizens from neighboring towns have to drive to Cherokee to access them. By bringing boxes closer to them, even more medications can be prevented from falling into the wrong hands. In addition to the 24/7 box located outside of the Sheriff’s office, additional boxes are located inside Cherokee Main Street Pharmacy and Hy Vee Pharmacy in Cherokee and Marcus during regular business hours.
In order for initiatives this large to be successful it takes a cross-discipline team. It is important to note that it is equally essential that those who may be struggling with addictions or risk of suicide do not have access to these publicly open locations. Therefore, it is imperative that law enforcement and local cities work together to create a safe environment for all involved. That includes a required camera system overseeing these drop locations. Each city will work with law enforcement if suspicious activity is detected. Additionally, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s department will be responsible for emptying all of the medication drop boxes in each city throughout the county and properly disposing of the medications inside of them. The coalition worked to establish funding, gain feedback and willingness to participate from each rural city in the county, and ultimately share the upcoming changes via education to the community.
The project has officially been launched and the dropboxes are now fully operational and available for use in the following 24/7 accessible locations:

• Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee, IA
• Cleghorn City Hall, Cleghorn, IA
• Aurelia City Hall, Aurelia, IA
• Washta City Hall, Washta, IA
• Quimby City Hall, Quimby, IA

There are also drop boxes still located in the local pharmacies, those locations are:

• Hyvee Pharmacy in Cherokee, IA and Marcus, IA
• Cherokee Main Street Pharmacy in Cherokee, IA
• Holstein Community Pharmacy in Holstein, IA
  There will be additional 24/7 drop boxes installed in Marcus, Meriden, and Larrabee once the cities have the infrastructure needed to support the initiative. The cities are all onboard and this is expected to be completed in the next couple of months.
  To drop medications in the medication drop boxes:
• Remove medications from their original container.
• Place them into a clear, sealed plastic bag, and recycle the original container. If not possible, leave the medications sealed in their original container.
• All liquids should be in a tightly sealed, secure container. Those containers should be in sealed, clear plastic bags.
  This initiative shows that our community recognizes the seriousness of suicide and is taking real, proactive steps to make a difference.
  If you would like more information about the Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition please contact Cherokee County Public Health at 712.225.2129.