Uniontown Hospital, DEA to collect and destroy old prescription drugs
Consumers looking for a safe way to dispose of unneeded and expired prescription drugs can bring them to Uniontown Hospital on Saturday during the seventh annual Drug Take Back Day.
Hospital police are collaborating with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for the event to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the hospital’s main lobby.
“This is a great opportunity to clean out your medicine cabinets,” said William Johnson, hospital pharmacy director.
Johnson said medications are often kept “just in case” they may be needed in the future, which can be a bad idea.
The event will give area residents the chance to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft by permitting them to freely and safely dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
The service is free and no questions will be asked of participants.
Through the DEA’s office of Diversion Control, millions of pounds of prescription drugs have been properly discarded since the Drug Take Back Day initiative started in 2010, with more than 5,000 sites receiving unwanted prescription medications nationwide each year.
Once collected, DEA officials move the drugs to a foundry where they are destroyed.
At Uniontown Hospital, hospital police Sgt. Vincent Traynor said 253 pounds of unwanted and unused prescription medications have been collected over the duration of the initiative.
“The first-year event netted about 23 pounds of prescription drugs and that on recent Take Back days, hospital police have collected about 55 pounds of pills,” said Traynor. According to Johnson, keeping unused and unwanted medications in the medicine cabinet can be harmful for several reasons.
Johnson said drugs can degrade over time and not be as effective or even harmful when taken months or years later. Drugs prescribed for an illness today, said Johnson, may not be the best choice to treat a similar problem in the future or may make the condition worse.
Also, drugs prescribed for one person may not be the best option for another person.
Additionally, Johnson said keeping unnecessary drugs increases the potential for a child, another person or a pet to suffer or die from drug poisoning or overdose. The hospital said research has shown that while the number of poisoning in children has steadily declined since the late 1970s, the percentage of all child poisoning deaths from medications has nearly doubled.
Disposing of medications by flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash can damage the environment, Johnson said.
“This program is one that we are proud to participate in and one that we encourage the community to get behind and consider,” said Josh Krysak, hospital community relations coordinator. Krysak noted the hospital conducts Drug Take Back Day twice a year. With illegal drug use on the rise and prescription medication abuse skyrocketing, Krysak said the program allows residents to protect themselves by disposing of these drugs before they can fall into the wrong hands or be used inappropriately.
It also affords residents the opportunity to take a proactive step toward lessening their risk of being a target for potential criminal activity such as burglaries.
“We have always had a good turnout for this program and in recent years, we have seen a steady increase in participation,” said Krysak.
Hospital police will be on hand the day of the event to monitor the drop-off box and to assist anyone wishing to dispose of medications.
Only prescription and over-the-counter tablets and capsules will be accepted. No prescription bottles or labels will be collected to protect privacy.
Drugs that are administered by injection; are in liquid form; or are consistent with other illicit substances such as marijuana will not be accepted.