I’m again after a two week keep in our Beacon Journal mobile newsroom in Firestone Park, the place fellow journalist Anthony Thompson and acquired to know the neighborhood higher and report on this.
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Listed below are some consumer-related articles value sharing:
Clear out your drugs cupboards
This Saturday is certainly one of two days a yr put aside as National Recovery Day, a one-day occasion that encourages individuals to eliminate their prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Sponsored by america Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the occasion encourages the general public to take away pointless medicines from their properties to forestall drug abuse and the addition of opioids from starting.
Nationwide Restoration Day normally happens on the final Saturday in April and October, stated Darryl Brake, govt director of Summit County Neighborhood Partnership, the county’s drug abuse prevention coalition.
To search out the closest drop-off level on Saturday, go to www.dea.gov/takebackday. Many native police departments are drop-off areas and have a year-round receptacle of their parking tons to dispose of medicine. On restoration day, Brake stated, accomplice websites distribute free drug deactivation bags for undesirable capsules. When full of water, the pouches deactivate medicine and make chemical compounds protected for landfills. Plus, the pouches are made out of a plant-based materials, in order that they’re protected for the setting and landfills, Brake stated.
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For those who convey your undesirable capsules right into a drop receptacle, first take away any prescription labels along with your identify or data on them, and you may drop the bottle with the capsules instantly into the receptacle, Brake stated.
Whereas one-day occasions are a great way to get individuals to scrub out their drugs cupboards and forestall the misuse of undesirable prescribed drugs – particularly if they’ve loads to scrub up – the deactivation luggage of Medicines are probably the most handy approach to clear out drugs cupboards all yr spherical.
The Summit County Neighborhood Partnership has labored with numerous organizations, securing donations and grants over the previous six years to offer the free deactivation packets at a number of areas within the space. All Acme Fresh Market Pharmacy Locations the data. You too can test with different pharmacies to see if they’ve the baggage.
Brake stated his group has distributed greater than 200,000 sachets over the previous six years.
“Most individuals that suffer from habit get their capsules from household and pals sooner or later,” he stated. He recommends eliminating prescribed drugs which might be not wanted and locking up these which might be nonetheless in use.
Though the primary function of the baggage is to get rid of prescribed drugs, Mr Brake stated it was additionally a protected approach to get rid of over-the-counter medicine. Brake asks customers to fill out the postcard connected to the baggage and point out whether or not prescription or over-the-counter medicines have been put within the pouch.
The group makes use of zip code knowledge and knowledge from the general public well being division and coroner’s workplace to offer extra deactivation luggage in zip codes with excessive overdoses.
Monitor accounts for duplicate prices
Fred M., a longtime Hudson reader, contacted me after noticing {that a} test he had written to an HVAC contractor for $474 had been twice cashed in his checking account. It was first photographed and filed as a cellular deposit by the contractor, then once more 10 days later it was inadvertently processed by the contractor’s workplace.
Fred observed the duplication when he reconciled his financial institution assertion the next month. He was stunned that the safety measures on the financial institution, particularly with cellular deposit, didn’t detect the double withdrawal from his account. The HVAC firm apologized if the error was on their half and confirmed that they’d not acquired the funds twice.
The financial institution, KeyBank, inside days of being notified of the duplication and investigation, returned the extra $474 to Fred’s account.
Fred stated his expertise is a reminder to maintain an in depth eye in your accounts and what ought to come out and in – regardless that many customers cannot reconcile their accounts today.
We “nonetheless cannot imagine the financial institution’s safety measures would permit this,” he wrote. “Basically, our understanding of the financial institution’s response is that errors do occur and the shopper ought to be diligent in monitoring their accounts for errors.
After I contacted KeyBank, a spokesperson stated they may not focus on the safety measures in place and don’t touch upon prospects or whether or not they’re prospects.
He supplied some basic security precautions for customers, which don’t handle duplicate test deposit, however are nonetheless good recommendation:
- For those who’re depositing a test by means of your cellular account, write “for cellular deposit solely” on the again when making a deposit. Hold the test for seven days.
- Account alerts may be arrange in on-line and cellular banking to observe your account steadiness and any debit/credit score to your account and obtain rapid alerts when person ID/password/data private data has been requested or modified.
- Allow multi-factor authentication. This makes it more durable for others to entry your account.
- Create sturdy passwords which might be lengthy and comprise each numbers and letters. Don’t use the identical password for a number of websites.
- All the time be diligent in monitoring your accounts for unauthorized transactions and report suspected fraud instantly to your monetary establishment.
Likewise, I did not get far once I tried to contact the American Banking Affiliation, the commerce affiliation for the banking business, to debate safety measures for test deposits.
Spokesperson Sarah Grano stated: “Banks go to extraordinary lengths to guard buyer accounts and forestall roughly 90% of deposit account fraud makes an attempt every year. We now have not too long ago seen criminals return to test fraud, however luckily banks are effectively outfitted to catch it thanks to classy fraud prevention programs and the fixed vigilance of devoted workers. You will need to keep in mind that financial institution prospects are usually protected towards losses as a consequence of unauthorized transactions if reported in a well timed method. They need to usually monitor their accounts and instantly report any suspected fraud.
Free at-home COVID-19 checks
On September 2, the federal authorities ended its program to obtain free at-home COVID-19 checks by means of the US Postal Service, however you can still get free tests whether or not you’ve insurance coverage by means of your employer, by means of the Federal Reasonably priced Care Act market, Medicare, or Medicaid.
Every individual in your plan is entitled to a most of eight free house checks monthly.
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Chaque assureur semble procéder un peu différemment. Certains vous permettront d’obtenir les tests gratuitement via une pharmacie en réseau; d’autres exigent que vous achetiez les tests vous-même, puis que vous soumettiez une réclamation avec un reçu à votre assurance pour être remboursé. Vérifiez auprès de votre assureur pour plus de détails.
De plus, si vous avez des tests à domicile plus anciens, ne les jetez pas si leur date d’expiration imprimée est passée sans faire de vérifications supplémentaires. La Food and Drug Administration a prolongé les dates d’expiration de la plupart des kits de test à domicile. Tu peux aller à ce lien — https://tinyurl.com/4au7nv4s – pour trouver la marque de test que vous avez, puis cliquez sur un autre lien pour rechercher le numéro de lot (imprimé près de la date d’expiration) pour trouver la date d’expiration mise à jour. Certains tests à domicile plus anciens du début de la pandémie peuvent avoir dépassé les dates d’expiration prolongées, mais bon nombre de ceux envoyés via le programme fédéral gratuit ont des dates d’expiration prolongées.
Pourtant, avec tout ce qui est gratuit, il y aura toujours des escrocs qui essaieront de profiter de la situation. La Federal Trade Commission met en garde contre les escrocs qui ont ciblé les bénéficiaires de Medicare, les appeler ou diffuser des publicités et demander les informations d’assurance-maladie d’une personne et facturer frauduleusement l’assurance-maladie pour les tests.
La FTC rappelle aux gens que Medicare ne vous appellera pas avec une offre de tests gratuits. La FTC dit également de ne pas divulguer les informations de votre compte à quiconque vous appelle à l’improviste pour le demander.
Watch out for scams
Whereas we’re as regards to scams, every time there is a main occasion, like Hurricane Ian, or one thing that impacts lots of people, like open enrollment for Medicare Benefit plans or the method not too long ago opened software for the federal pupil debt aid program. , you may wager there are scammers too.
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The crooks are in full power for all three. Watch out and ensure you go to the appropriate web sites, and when you see emails or textual content messages or obtain cellphone calls, watch out for the supply.
- If you wish to discover a charity that’s serving to with Hurricane Ian aid, remember to do your homework and discover the appropriate web site. The American Crimson Cross is www.redcross.org. You too can test on a charity at www.guidestar.org.
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Betty Lin-Fisher may be reached at 330-996-3724 or [email protected]. Comply with her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.fb.com/BettyLinFisherABJ. To see her most up-to-date tales and columns, go to www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher.
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