Program Offers Convenient Medication Drop-Off Any Time of Day in Secure Receptacle
Residents can now drop off unused, expired or unwanted prescription medications 24 hours a day inside the main entrance at Carthage Area Hospital, 1001 West St., thanks to a partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Participants in the Pilot Pharmaceutical Take-Back Program across the state began accepting waste medications in April. A medication collection box was delivered to the hospital and installed inside the main entrance. Carthage Area Hospital is one of 80 retail pharmacies, hospitals, and long-term care facilities across the state participating in the program.
“It’s important that we continue to do everything we can to combat prescription drug abuse. This is another great step the hospital has taken as a leader in that effort. It also offers patients and Carthage Area residents the added convenience of not having to travel to properly dispose of unwanted medications,” said Jim Brady, RPh, Carthage Area Hospital director of pharmacy.
Items permitted for disposal in the hospital’s medication collection box include: Prescriptions (Schedule II to V controlled and non-controlled substances); prescription ointments, vitamins and prescription patches; pet medications; and over-the-counter medications. Items not permitted for disposal include: Needles, inhalers, aerosol cans, thermometers, lotions, liquids and hydrogen peroxide. The hospital offers a separate program for safe disposal of needles and other sharps through its housekeeping department. Call 315-493-1000 to learn more.
Abuse of prescription drugs is a major public health problem in New York State. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one U.S. resident dies every 16 minutes from a drug overdose and has declared this public health threat an epidemic.
“By placing medication drop boxes in community pharmacies, hospitals and long-term care facilities, we are increasing opportunities for New Yorkers to properly and easily dispose of unwanted medications,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “Participants in New York’s free drug take-back program are protecting their communities and the environment.”
Under the drug take-back program, the DEC provided a medication collection boxes and will pay for the disposal of waste pharmaceuticals the hospital collects for two years.
The statewide Pilot Pharmaceutical Take-Back Program is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. Resources from the fund will be used to cover the full cost of purchasing U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-compliant medication drop boxes, as well as the cost of pick up, transport, and destruction of collected waste pharmaceuticals.
Officials also say the disposal program will help to improve water quality while reducing the amount of drugs flushed into public sewer and water systems.
Flushed medications have been found in New York lakes, rivers, and streams and can negatively affect the waterways. A national study conducted in 1999 and 2000, by the U.S. Geological Survey found low levels of drugs such as antibiotics, hormones, contraceptives, and steroids in 80 percent of rivers and streams tested. Medications adversely affect fish and other aquatic wildlife and increase the development of drug-resistant bacteria.
‘Shed the Meds’ Sets New Record
Last month, Carthage Area Hospital, State Sen. Patty Ritchie, the Alliance for better Communities and local law enforcement held a “Shed the Meds” prescription medication collection that took in a record-setting 139 pounds of unwanted, unused and expired medications.
The annual effort aims to eliminate the potential abuse of unwanted prescription medications and to protect the environment. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the Village of Carthage Police Department also partnered in the event. The April 26 collection event was at least the fourth time since 2014 the agencies have partnered with Sen. Ritchie and the hospital to help North Country residents “shed the meds.”
Carthage Area Hospital Clinical Pharmacist Christopher Bradley, PharmD, MBA, RPh, said the hospital plans to continue to host single-day collection events like “Shed the Meds” since the fixed collection box was installed.
“We encourage people to continue to return medications all year long to the hospital. Our hospital strives to promote the health and well-being of our local residents and improve the quality of live in our communities,” Bradley said.
About Carthage Area Hospital
Carthage Area Hospital was established as a not-for-profit rural community hospital in 1965. It operates today as a fully accredited 25-bed Critical Access Hospital, serving approximately 83,000 residents in Jefferson, northern Lewis and southern St. Lawrence counties. The hospital formed a clinical affiliation with Crouse Health, Syracuse, in 2017.
The hospital also operates a network of community-based clinics, including its Philadelphia Medical Center, Family Health Center, Pediatric Clinic and Women’s Way to Wellness and provides a range of specialty care, including general surgery, orthopedics, podiatry, urology, neurosurgical care, physical and occupational therapy, and behavioral health.