ENID, OK - INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center is partnering with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) to host Drug Take Back Day Monday, April 24, from 12 to 4 p.m. outside of the hospital’s emergency department.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a bi-annual event in April and October created by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offering free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications.
INTEGRIS Bass Pharmacy Manager Kathryn Tennell initiated the local event, citing the importance of proper medication disposal. “If not discarded appropriately, unused or expired prescription drugs (and even over-the-counter drugs) can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse,” Tennell said. “Prescription drugs thrown in the trash have been known to be retrieved by small children with fatal outcomes.”
She continued, “Drugs discarded in the trash can also be removed by teens or adults and abused or illegally sold. Flushing them down a toilet puts them into our water supply. Disposing of your unused drugs at a take back site or event is the best way to protect your family, the public and our environment.”
The OBN began the Oklahoma-based drug take back program more than a decade ago, giving individuals an opportunity to safely dispose of medications that are expired, unwanted or no longer needed. Needles, syringes and inhalers will not be accepted, but information regarding proper disposal of these materials can be found on the OBN website.
“This is just a single event to highlight the need to dispose of unused meds. Permanent take-back sites in Enid listed on the DEA website include local pharmacies Evans Drug Center, Scheffe’s Prescription Shop and Wal-Mart,” Tennell said.
Coffee Inclination and the Oklahoma Blood Institute will be on site as well, allowing community members to not only drop off old prescriptions, but also save lives through blood donation and enjoy a specialty coffee.
