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 largest private employer, serves patients across New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,300 providers in nearly every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH. Its network of hospitals, outpatient centers, clinics and home care facilities, spans a broad geographical area. Year after year, DHMC is named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is consistently recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, northern New England’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of less than than 60 total nationally; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital (Children’s Hospital at DHMC/CHaD) and more than 20 locations around the region; eight member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont, Hampstead, and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; Dartmouth Health Connected Care Center for Telehealth, serving patients as far away as Texas; and more than 30 primary and multi-specialty clinics across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its partnership with Dartmouth College, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the White River Junction VA Medical Center, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials with international impact. Dartmouth Health and its more than 16,000 employees are committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in the communities it serves and to providing every patient with exceptional, state-of-the-art, personalized care. Learn more at dartmouth-health.org.