“Drug Take Back Day” is tomorrow. It encourages communities to dispose of unwanted, unused and expired prescription medications. Spectrum Health is offering drop off-sites with oversight by the Grand Rapids Police Department. It’s part of the 20th annual event sponsored by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)
“You can take off the labels, we don’t what they are, who they’re from. It’s anonymous and free.”
Natalia Szczygiel, Director of Operations for Behavioral Health at Spectrum Health says tomorrow’s effort to get expired, unwanted, un-needed medications out of the house -is a safe and effective way to properly dispose of prescription drugs. It is also a way to attack the ongoing Opioid crisis.
“We know that about 9.9 M Americans mis-use controlled prescription drugs. There was a study in 2018 that actually showed that the majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends often from our home medicine cabinet.” Spectrum Health Healthier Communities, Priority Health and Families Against Narcotics Grand Rapids Chapter have teamed up again to collect unused and unwanted prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, April 24th.
This public service is part of the 20th annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The event is nationally sponsored by the Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration-(DEA).
And Szczygiel says it’s working.
“I can tell you each year, we collect more and more un-needed medications. Last year we collected just under 200 pounds which was a great increase over the year prior and I’m imagining that tomorrow, we’ll collect more than 200 pounds.”
The Grand Rapids Police Department will oversee the collection site and ensure drugs are exposed of properly. The DEA advises the public not to flush medications down the toilet or throw them in the trash because doing so poses potential safety and health hazards.
Spectrum has numerous drop off locations throughout West Michigan with COVID 19 precautions in place. Here’s a complete listing from Spectrum:
- Spectrum Health Healthier Communities, Widdicomb Building, 665 Seward Ave. NW, Grand Rapids
- Spectrum Health Medical Group South Pavilion, 80 68th Street SE, Grand Rapids
- Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital, 605 Oak Street, Big Rapids
- Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital, 300 N. Patterson Rd, Reed City
- Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital, 418 Washington Ave, Lakeview
- Zeeland Community Hospital, 8333 Felch St., Zeeland
I’m Jennifer Moss.
