The opioid epidemic has impacted too many lives. We know this all too well in Pennsylvania, where 36.5 fatal overdoses occurred in 2016 per 100,000 people, a 37 percent increase from 2015.
Opioid addiction often begins with prescription medication. Therefore, it’s imperative that unneeded, unwanted, or expired medications be disposed of properly. The goal of Drug Take Back Day, April 28, is to stress this point. The event, a coordinated effort of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and state and local law enforcement officials, “aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and medications,” according to the event’s website. The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) also has a web page dedicated to their Prescription Drug Take-Back Box initiative. DDAP has worked to facilitate the installation of secure, permanent prescription drug take-back boxes in communities throughout the state. You can find a permanent drug take-back location in your area on the web page.
Pennsylvania hospitals offer safe, secure ways to dispose of any prescription medication. If you need to discard a drug, here is a sampling of hospitals that have disposal services at their facilities.
The Radnor-based health system has four hospitals that offer prescription medicine drop boxes:
- Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood
- Bryn Mawr Hospital
- Riddle Hospital, Media
- Paoli Hospital
Disposal is offered year-round, and drop boxes can be found in the lobbies of the four hospitals.
Drop boxes from Geisinger allow for the safe disposal of “prescription and over-the-counter solid medications, tablets and capsules, liquid medications in the original containers, prescription patches, medical creams and ointments, vitamins, nasal sprays, and even pet medications.” For a full list of locations, please visit Geisinger’s Medication Take-Back Program page.
The Kittanning hospital partnered last year with the Armstrong County District Attorney’s office and the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association to install a drug-collection unit inside the hospital’s main entrance. The unit can be accessed daily from 7:30 a.m. through 8:30 p.m.
The MedSafe® boxes offered by Guthrie can be used to dispose of pills, powders, liquid medicines less than 4 ounces, and more. These boxes can be found at two locations in Pennsylvania:
- Guthrie Clinic Pharmacy, Sayre
- Guthrie Towanda Memorial Hospital
Fayette Regional Health System
FRHS’ Uniontown Hospital has a Take Back Box that can be used to deposit medications. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
By using these boxes to dispose of unwanted, unneeded, and expired medications, you can do your part to combat drug abuse and addiction.
For more information, and to find a drug take-back location near you, visit https://apps.ddap.pa.gov/GetHelpNow/PillDrop.aspx.