LOCK HAVEN - Lock Haven Hospital will team with Advocates for a Drug Free Tomorrow and serve the Lock Haven community as a drop-off location for the Drug Enforcement Administration National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 28 at 24 Cree Drive.
Community members will have the opportunity to drop off accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs and to safely dispose of those medications. Local law enforcement agencies will be on hand throughout the collection process.
Collection procedures
r Controlled, non-controlled and over the counter medications will be collected.
r This program is anonymous and all efforts should be made to protect the anonymity of individuals disposing of medications. No questions or requests for identification will be made by law enforcement personnel present.
r Participants should remove any personal information from bottles or packages that contain pills/capsules and liquids and place the bottles or packages into the disposal box.
r No effort should be made by law enforcement personnel to count, inventory or log medications.
r Liquid products and creams in their containers will be accepted.
r Sharpies and syringes will not be accepted due to the potential hazard posed by blood-borne pathogens.
"This is a great opportunity for members of the Lock Haven community to dispose of unwanted or unused medications and have them handled in a proper environmentally friendly manner," said John Zidasek, chief executive officer, Lock Haven Hospital. "This will also go a long way to eliminating the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by removing those drugs from our community."
Americans that participated in the DEA's third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Oct. 29, 2011 turned in more than 377,086 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at the 5,327 take-back sites that were available in all 50 states and U.S. territories. When the results of the three prior Take Back Days are combined, the DEA and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners have removed 995,185 pounds (498.5 tons) of medication from circulation in the past 13 months.
"The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the past three Take-Back Day events speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs," said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. "DEA remains hard at work to establish just such a drug disposal process, and will continue to offer take-back opportunities until the proper regulations are in place.
"With the continued support and hard work of our more than 3,945 state, local and tribal law enforcement and community partners, these three events have dramatically reduced the risk of prescription drug diversion and abuse, and increased awareness of this critical public health issue," she continued.
