My child's prescription disappeared at OKW

[Dean]

Our rule: Meds are stored in safe at all times, at home, and at hotels. I just do not take any chances. I'm sorry that happened to you, I hope you were able to get them replaced quickly.

Likely not since they are almost certainly class II controlled meds and thus can't be sent in electronically, called in or be written with refills. In addition, most physicians are now using a medication contract for such meds (and they should be if they're not) and generally these contracts prevent replacing the meds early no matter the reason. About the only way I could think of to possibly replace them on vacation would be to call in to the physicians office and have a prescription written, then have someone go by and pick it up (usually must be authorized by the legally responsible person) then take the paper to the a pharmacy and place it on file then have the pharmacy transfer it electronically. This would be hit or miss and I suspect most pharmacies would not be willing to do so even if they could (I'm not even sure FL would allow it anyway). While federal law allows such prescriptions to be sent in electronically if they are on an authorized electronic health record, most offices aren't on a qualifying system even if electronic and many state laws don't allow it, including FL.

 

[Teacher Princess]

You should always report anything to Disney. I know people feel like Disney does nothing in this situation but they do.

If you know your daughter took her medicine one night then the next day went to take it and it was gone that is a time frame you can give Disney. They can then search to see who accessed your room during that time. A note is made in those CM files to say that a report of stolen goods was made and then if nothing comes up that report just sits there. Now if someone realizes that a certain CM tends to have a lot of these theft reports they will launch an investigation.

I only know about this because they used this method to catch a house keeper who was taking money out of safes even. After enough marks Disney called in the cops who set up several hidden items and money that was marked. Once the stuff was taken they tracked it back to the CM and she was taken off property in hand cuffs.

Remember housekeeping is typically the low of the low on the totem pole of CMs.

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With all due respect, What a demeaning comment.. Not all housekeeping are less inferior than any other person .My Aunt used to work for WDW resorts back in the 90's . ( from Puerto Rico). And yes I did heard about some of them stealing from resort rooms but IMHO not all are low life pp.. Our family resort is SSR and we have been members since 2009 and never experienced any problem if this nature..

To the original poster I'm sorry about your DD meds. Just MHO:
Army wife..

 

[wilkeliza]

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With all due respect, What a demeaning comment.. Not all housekeeping are less inferior than any other person .My Aunt used to work for WDW resorts back in the 90's . ( from Puerto Rico). And yes I did heard about some of them stealing from resort rooms but IMHO not all are low life pp.. Our family resort is SSR and we have been members since 2009 and never experienced any problem if this nature..

To the original poster I'm sorry about your DD meds. Just MHO:
Army wife..

You obviously didn't read any further than my initial post. I later clarified that it had nothing to do with all people that work the position but rather the position itself. There are great amazing housekeeping cm. However, it is still the easiest positiom to get at WDW. That is what I mean by low man on the totem pole and nothing more. Housekeeping and custodial are about equal in what it takes to get those positions.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Likely not since they are almost certainly class II controlled meds and thus can't be sent in electronically, called in or be written with refills. In addition, most physicians are now using a medication contract for such meds (and they should be if they're not) and generally these contracts prevent replacing the meds early no matter the reason. About the only way I could think of to possibly replace them on vacation would be to call in to the physicians office and have a prescription written, then have someone go by and pick it up (usually must be authorized by the legally responsible person) then take the paper to the a pharmacy and place it on file then have the pharmacy transfer it electronically. This would be hit or miss and I suspect most pharmacies would not be willing to do so even if they could (I'm not even sure FL would allow it anyway). While federal law allows such prescriptions to be sent in electronically if they are on an authorized electronic health record, most offices aren't on a qualifying system even if electronic and many state laws don't allow it, including FL.

You are 100% bang on about all of this. We are very, very lucky. We live 1 hour from here and DH was actually going home to go to work yesterday. Our pediatrician couldn't write the same script, but as he had been wanting to up DD's dose this was an opportunity to try this out. DH was able to pick up the slightly higher prescription and fill it yesterday so DD had her medicine today. If we had been out of the area we would have been out of luck. We learned a big lesson from all of this. DD's new prescription stayed on me at all times today BTW.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Not a DVC resort but in 2009 we had a theft at POFQ. We had 2 rooms that were a few doors apart. On the second day DD and DS in the second room said the felt their stuff had been "gone through" I called and then went to the front desk and reported this and told them to put in my file that nobody was to enter either of the rooms without my presences. Well, the next day we were out all day and when we came back the first room had not been opened but the second room had been cleaned by HKing and DD laptop was gone.

I went straight to the front desk and made them call the police to report the theft. The reviewed who entered to room and it was only HKing. I told them I didn't necessarily believe it was housekeeper as I had witnessed on multiple occasions and multiple trips, including this trip where housekeeping would prop open 2 adjoining rooms and float between the two. I was told by Disney over and over that this was not allowed so it could not have happened but I saw it enough to know it did. We refused to stay and were moved to SSR which reminded us why we love DVC but since then we notify the front desk we do not want anyone to have access to our room except in emergency situations. Disney made it right by compensating us for the laptop and the upgrade to two 1 bedrooms at SSR so I felt better. It is like when you rent an apartment you have the right to refuse entry without being there.

All that being said I still don't think it was the housekeeper I think it was someone who was stalking the rooms and saw an easy target with the ability to quickly get out. I know that in the past I have come back to the room when housekeeping has been inside with the door propped open so I didn't have to use my key. They have never asked for proof that I was the real room occupant. How hard would it be for a criminal to walk into a room acting like the resort guest and grab anything they think is valuable?

Wow to all of this. Yes, I've also seen the doors propped open and housekeeping in and out of the rooms and I've thought nothing of it until now...however, I'm sure that seasoned criminals see that and see an opportunity. My DH says that the safes are safe in this case as the criminals are there for a fast grab, in and out and won't mess with trying to open a locked safe. I hope he is correct.

 

[delilah]

Speaking as a physician, I usually advise my patients to hold onto the empty bottles of medications they are taking routinely if they are planning to travel. All medications should always be in properly labeled bottles, of course. Then, they should count out just as many doses as they will need for their trip, and lock up the rest at home. It is true that most ADD meds are schedule II, and that we have contracts that patients sign, and, in our office, only the patient or a parent is able to pick up a controlled substance prescription. Schedule II prescriptions have to be handwritten on a special prescription form, and signed by the physician. The contracts in our office specifically state that lost or stolen meds won't be replaced. If somebody loses a prescription, depending on the situation, they might get weekly prescriptions. So, we take controlled prescriptions very seriously.

It is amazing to me as a physician how people always lose controlled meds, but, nobody ever has their lisinopril lost or stolen (not intended as a judgement on the original poster; I know bad things happen, and we are lenient in situations involving children).

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Speaking as a physician, I usually advise my patients to hold onto the empty bottles of medications they are taking routinely if they are planning to travel. All medications should always be in properly labeled bottles, of course. Then, they should count out just as many doses as they will need for their trip, and lock up the rest at home. It is true that most ADD meds are schedule II, and that we have contracts that patients sign, and, in our office, only the patient or a parent is able to pick up a controlled substance prescription. Schedule II prescriptions have to be handwritten on a special prescription form, and signed by the physician. The contracts in our office specifically state that lost or stolen meds won't be replaced. If somebody loses a prescription, depending on the situation, they might get weekly prescriptions. So, we take controlled prescriptions very seriously.

It is amazing to me as a physician how people always lose controlled meds, but, nobody ever has their lisinopril lost or stolen (not intended as a judgement on the original poster; I know bad things happen, and we are lenient in situations involving children).

In our case they took the controlled meds but left my other daughter's asthma inhaler which is also prescription. I'm pretty sure whomever did it knew exactly what they were after. I wouldn't be surprised about people losing controlled meds but not other meds. There is a street market for controlled meds. It's been horrible to learn about this the hard way, but you can bet that I'll be following the advice to lock all the meds up at home and only take with us what we need from now on (locked up or on my person at all times).

 

[Dean]

You are 100% bang on about all of this. We are very, very lucky. We live 1 hour from here and DH was actually going home to go to work yesterday. Our pediatrician couldn't write the same script, but as he had been wanting to up DD's dose this was an opportunity to try this out. DH was able to pick up the slightly higher prescription and fill it yesterday so DD had her medicine today. If we had been out of the area we would have been out of luck. We learned a big lesson from all of this. DD's new prescription stayed on me at all times today BTW.

That's likely a different issue, insurance coverage. They could have written the same one, you just would have had to pay it OOP if you were too early. Generally that's 75% of the prescription time though some pharmacies will balk when you try to get it "a few days early". The other option would have been to allow someone to pick it up, fill it and overnight it. This would likely have taken coordination. In many offices and legally in most states, the person who is contractually linked can designate others to pick it up either perpetually by a written statement or on the fly by a phone call. This is definitely true in FL though a given office could have more stringent rules. The third option for those who can plan is to get future prescriptions written such as 3 one month prescriptions. They cannot be post dated (even though some offices do this illegally) but can be written with a fill after date. We don't normally do this because of how our EHR works (it plays havoc with future renewals of that script) as well as the added risk, but it's legal under federal law and all the states I'm aware of for at least 3 months and possibly up to 6 months. Pharmacists also have the authority to use their judgement for emergency fills of small amounts but they are understandably reluctant with such meds. I think that federal law also allows them to be mailed (I know they did) but since FL law doesn't, it's not an issue for us anymore, best to check in the state of question.

 

[jerseygal]

I have read and heard that college aged kids are "misuing" using ADHD medication often as stimulants to stay up and study. Thefts of this medication are common. When your children reach college age, they should take all precautions, unfortunately even in their own dorm room as roommates friends are "in and out" all the time.

GLAD to hear that you lived close enough to resolve the problem. A constant reminder for all of us to take precautions! Medication and valuables are one thing, but nothing makes me more angry when you see the attitude of careless parents not watching their children on vacation! Many unfortunately have the attitude, hey "we're on vacation in Disney, what can happen?"

When we were at Aulani recently, my husband and I took a walk to the JW Marriott later in the evening, about 9:30 or so. We were walking through the very large hotel from the outdoor pool/deck area and the setup was that you had to go upstairs to the lobby...Anyway, sure enough we made the "wrong turn" and wound up in a corridor that was "very quiet" and there was an adorable girl, only about 10 years old with her pool drink, obviously coming from the pool going up to her room ALONE and we asked her how to get to the main lobby...She gave us directions and off she went...She could have been TAKEN OR LURED in a second!

 

[crisi]

Wow to all of this. Yes, I've also seen the doors propped open and housekeeping in and out of the rooms and I've thought nothing of it until now...however, I'm sure that seasoned criminals see that and see an opportunity. My DH says that the safes are safe in this case as the criminals are there for a fast grab, in and out and won't mess with trying to open a locked safe. I hope he is correct.

Also, throwing your laptop and electronics in a drawer under some clothes instead of leaving it on the table or counter.....(I don't think they fit in the safe). Any opportunistic thief won't take time to toss the room, they'll come in and scan countertops and tables - the maid might - she'd have time - but its pretty risky for her to take larger items like laptops.

And leave what you don't need at home.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I have read and heard that college aged kids are "misuing" using ADHD medication often as stimulants to stay up and study. Thefts of this medication are common. When your children reach college age, they should take all precautions, unfortunately even in their own dorm room as roommates friends are "in and out" all the time.

GLAD to hear that you lived close enough to resolve the problem. A constant reminder for all of us to take precautions! Medication and valuables are one thing, but nothing makes me more angry when you see the attitude of careless parents not watching their children on vacation! Many unfortunately have the attitude, hey "we're on vacation in Disney, what can happen?"

When we were at Aulani recently, my husband and I took a walk to the JW Marriott later in the evening, about 9:30 or so. We were walking through the very large hotel from the outdoor pool/deck area and the setup was that you had to go upstairs to the lobby...Anyway, sure enough we made the "wrong turn" and wound up in a corridor that was "very quiet" and there was an adorable girl, only about 10 years old with her pool drink, obviously coming from the pool going up to her room ALONE and we asked her how to get to the main lobby...She gave us directions and off she went...She could have been TAKEN OR LURED in a second!

Wow, so true. I didn't even think about that as we have quite a while yet before our kids are in college. Still though, totally true. If meds are still an issue at that age, we will have to buy DD a safe when she goes to college. Just crazy...I have absolutely no idea why someone without ADHD would WANT to take a stimulant. I sure wouldn't! Wouldn't it just make you hyper if you didn't need it?

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Also, throwing your laptop and electronics in a drawer under some clothes instead of leaving it on the table or counter.....(I don't think they fit in the safe). Any opportunistic thief won't take time to toss the room, they'll come in and scan countertops and tables - the maid might - she'd have time - but its pretty risky for her to take larger items like laptops.

And leave what you don't need at home.

Or maybe like stick your laptop in between the sheets in your bed or something...I think I might do something like that. My laptop is not really valuable but still...total violation to be robbed.

 

[Best Aunt]

Or maybe like stick your laptop in between the sheets in your bed or something...I think I might do something like that. My laptop is not really valuable but still...total violation to be robbed.

If I tried to hide something valuable by sticking it between the sheets, I would be worried that the maid might strip the bed by mistake, and my valuable item would be headed for the laundry. Kids have lost their "lovies" that way; I wouldn't want to lose my laptop that way.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

If I tried to hide something valuable by sticking it between the sheets, I would be worried that the maid might strip the bed by mistake, and my valuable item would be headed for the laundry. Kids have lost their "lovies" that way; I wouldn't want to lose my laptop that way.

True lol. Then again though, why would the maid be in a DVC unit other than on trash/towel day?

 

[jerseygal]

My philosophy is while staying anywhere at any resort, safeguard all valuables and family. While we are in a hotel room, we double lock the door, "just in case, someone tries to come in"...Better to be SAFE THAN SORRY!

 

[Tinkerbell58]

DD and I stayed at SSR last January, studio, first floor. Upon our arrival, I looked out the sliding glass doors to enjoy the view when I noticed that the door was not locked. If the door was deliberately left unlocked, the person could have entered our room via the sliding door. By doing this, there would be no scan/record of who entered the room.

 

[jerseygal]

Sort of like a sliding glass door at home with easy ground floor access...
I would never leave that unlocked...

So, at any Disney Hotel or DVC Property, there is an electronic record of housekeeping/maintenance staff entering room???
If so, that is a good thing!

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

DD and I stayed at SSR last January, studio, first floor. Upon our arrival, I looked out the sliding glass doors to enjoy the view when I noticed that the door was not locked. If the door was deliberately left unlocked, the person could have entered our room via the sliding door. By doing this, there would be no scan/record of who entered the room.

We were on the second floor. It's not impossible that someone came into the room via the slider, but I think it's not very likely. It would be pretty visible if someone were climbing the exterior of the building I think.

 

[Sur]

We stayed near HH at OKW, top floor. The door wasn't closing properly. I was finishing up a shower when I heard the door open, it was a cleaner who had walked in without knocking...just pushed the door open. My family was on the beds watching tv. I was ticked. The woman hustled back out of there when she saw everyone....nothing said, just beat it.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

That's why I never leave medications out in the open. I always hide them away. Still not a perfect method, but less tempting to thieves.