Hamilton Memorial Hospital District Pharmacy announced today it has established a convenient medication take-back program for easy disposal of leftover, unused, and out of-date prescription and over-the-counter medications.
In an effort to help reduce the risk of drugs in the home that can potentially harm children, teens, or adults, Hamilton Memorial Hospital Pharmacy has set up a secure, safe drop-off location at 611 S Marshall Ave in McLeansboro, Illinois. The drug disposal unit is located in the main lobby of the hospital. Hospital registration staff is available to help locate the drug disposal unit.
Unused medications in the home are a source of drug abuse in millions of homes, with the opioid crisis in the United States fueled in part by that availability: 47% of misused prescription pain relievers are given by, bought from, or taken from a friend or relative. On average, an American dies of a drug overdose every 5 minutes.
“We want to provide the folks in our community with the safe, secure opportunity to clean out their medicine cabinets and make their homes and communities safer,” said Tara Gorden, RPH Director of Pharmacy Services at Hamilton Memorial Hospital District. “We want to remind people that they should not flush drugs down the toilet. Traces of drugs can appear in community drinking water. Our drug disposal unit, which is easily accessible in the lobby of the hospital, is a great answer to that problem and it’s simple to do. All they do is just come in, look for the big green receptacle, and take it from there. Drugs can be dropped off with no questions asked.”
Gorden said there are some things that can’t be taken in the receptacle, such as inhalers and needles, but pharmacy staff can be contacted to determine what to do. The collection receptacle will be available in the lobby of the hospital at 611 S Marshall Ave, Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Closed Weekends & Holidays.
Hamilton Memorial Hospital Pharmacy partnered with Inmar to manage this drug take-back program. The company has a long history as the industry leader in handling prescription and over-the-counter drug returns safely, securely, and discreetly for major and regional chain drug stores as well as independent pharmacies and hospitals across the U.S.
