October 11, 2018
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a first for Central Ohio health systems, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has launched a Drug Take-Back Program that will offer a convenient way for individuals to safely dispose of their unused or unwanted medications year-round. A secure Drug Take-Back Receptacle has been installed in The Ohio State University Outpatient Pharmacy on the Conference Level of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, 460 W. 10th Ave.
“We are the first health system in central Ohio to offer this program, which supports our efforts to create healthy communities by addressing Ohio’s most pressing health needs, including prescription drug misuse possibly leading to addiction,” said David P. McQuaid, chief operating officer of Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and chief executive officer of the Ohio State Health System. “This program is approved by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy.”
The collection receptacle is made of metal and looks similar to a mailbox. It contains a cardboard box layered with plastic and features a lockable access slot where individuals may deposit any schedule II-IV controlled substances and non-controlled medications that have expired or are no longer wanted.
Items that are prohibited from placement include illegal substances, aerosols such as inhalers, medical sharps, thermometers, batteries, medical equipment and hazardous drugs or chemicals.
“Through our Drug Take-Back Program, the medical center is helping to alleviate the nationwide problem of unwanted pharmaceuticals being flushed, tossed out with the trash or indefinitely stored in medicine cabinets – actions that could result in water contamination, adverse environmental impact, accidental poisonings or drug abuse,” said Robert Weber, administrator for pharmacy services at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and assistant dean for Medical Center affairs in the Ohio State College of Pharmacy.
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Media Contact: Eileen Scahill, Wexner Medical Center Media Relations, 614-293-3737, Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu