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Michigan OPEN
Michigan OPEN
Programs

Medication Disposal Pouches

You know the importance of Safe Storage + Disposal for medications – now it’s time to empower others! Apply today for free case(s) of medication deactivation pouches to distribute via your organization. OPEN will purchase the products and ship them directly to approved community partners.

OPEN partners with Deterra to provide secure medium-sized medication deactivation pouches for an easy, at home medication disposal option. Unused medication can be disposed of by inserting into the 5″ x 8″ x 2.5” medium pouch, adding warm water, and dropping the pouch in a regular garbage bin. For more detailed instructions on how to use the pouch, watch this tutorial video.

 One case includes 200 pouches, weighs 27 pounds, and measures 20” x 16” x 11”.

Award Opportunity- Deterra deactivation pouches, each case containing 200 pouches, up to two cases.
Eligibility Requirements- Organizations must be based in Michigan.
- Two staff contacts per organization.
- Commitment to completion of a brief program evaluation survey.
Reporting Requirements- Completion of a 3-month follow up survey.
Notification of Award- OPEN will be reviewing applications on a quarterly basis. See the schedule below to learn more about the application quarters and award notification dates.
- The application for this program will remain open throughout the year. Awards will be communicated by email based on the quarter in which the application was submitted.
Application QuarterAward Email Notification
January 1, 2025 - March 31, 2025May 2025
April 1, 2025 - June 30, 2025August 2025
July 1, 2025- September 30, 2025November 2025
October 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025February 2026

  1. Applicant Name
  2. Applicant Title
  3. Applicant Email 
  4. Secondary Contact
  5. Secondary Contact Email
  6. Organization Name
  7. Address
  8. Is the shipping address the same?
    • If no, enter shipping address
  9. County
  10. Organization Website
  11. Organization Mission / brief description of services?
  12. Why is it important for your organization to distribute medication disposal pouches? What unmet needs will this opportunity help address?
  13. Please describe your plan for distributing medication disposal pouches.
    • Distribution at community events
    • Distribution to patients in clinics
    • Other:
  14. How many cases of medication disposal pouches are you requesting (up to 2 cases)? Each case contains 200 pouches.
  15. Acknowledgements:
    • Our organization’s mission is to provide care and prevent harm to our communities. We will use the materials and resources provided in this program opportunity towards this intended purpose only and understand that these products are not eligible for resale.
    • Our organization will commit to completing the required reporting and evaluations.
  16. How did you hear about OPEN’s programming?
    • Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)
    • OPEN Newsletter
    • Conference
    • Google Search
    • Other – write in

3-Month Program Follow-Up Questions 

  1. Organization name
  2. Name, title, email of project lead

Program:

  1. How many medication disposal pouches has your organization distributed so far?
  2. What groups were medication disposal pouches distributed to? What proportion of pouches were distributed to each group?
  3. What strategies for distributing the medication disposal pouches did you implement?
  4. What worked well during the distribution of pouches?
  5. What challenges or barriers did you face in distributing pouches?

Other:

  1. What strategies for educating patients and their families on safe disposal did you implement?
  2. Do you have any other general feedback about the medication disposal products or partnership with OPEN?

Q: Do we have to distribute all of the disposal products before submitting the end-of-project report? 

A: No. We hope that the products get used promptly but it is not required to complete distribution by the end of the project period.

Q: If we distribute all of the disposal products, can we request more?

A: Yes! Please submit the application a second time to apply for additional disposal products. 

Q: Do the deactivation pouches expire?

A: No, the pouches do not expire and can be stored at your organization.