Unused medications left in the home can pose a serious risk, especially to children, teens, and even adult. This new drop-off site offers a safe and simple solution for removing those risks and reducing the chance of drug misuse.
Carson M. Wenz, PharmDAlice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD), a member of Dartmouth Health, has established a secure, convenient medication take-back program designed to provide the community with a safe and responsible way to dispose of leftover, unused, or expired medications.
The new drug disposal box, located inside the hospital’s main entrance, is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Community members can drop off medications with no questions asked.
“Unused medications left in the home can pose a serious risk, especially to children, teens, and even adults,” said Carson M. Wenz, PharmD, clinical pharmacist at APD. “This new drop-off site offers a safe and simple solution for removing those risks and reducing the chance of drug misuse.”
According to national data, 47% of people who misuse prescription pain relievers get them from friends or family members. The opioid crisis has been fueled in part by the availability of these drugs at home. On average, an American dies from a drug overdose every five minutes.
In addition to improving household safety, the program supports environmental health. “Flushing medications down the toilet can lead to traces of drugs in community water supplies,” said Wenz. “This secure drop box is a safer, more responsible option.”
The green disposal box, located in APD’s main hospital lobby, is easy to use and clearly marked. While most prescription and over-the-counter medications are accepted, items such as inhalers and needles are not.
APD has partnered with Inmar, a national leader in safe medication disposal, to ensure that all collected drugs are managed according to the highest standards for security and environmental safety.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.