Parkland to host National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 27

Posted: 4/24/2024

Event provides opportunity for proper disposal of medications

Expired, unused and unwanted medications in our homes can possibly end up in the wrong hands and lead to something tragic. To prevent accidents and improper disposal of potentially harmful substances, Parkland Health and the Dallas County Hospital District (DCHD) Police Department are participating in the 25th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

The event, which happens twice a year, is a safe, convenient and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs, according to Captain Steve Sedlak with the DCHD Police Department.

Parkland will host the take-back from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 27 at its Simmons Ambulatory Surgery Center located at 4900 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, 75235. The event is free and open to the public. Community members can hand the medications to a law enforcement officer with no questions asked.

During October 2023 Take Back Day, the community once again emptied their medicine cabinets to help dispose of old, unwanted and expired medications. Nationwide, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and its law enforcement partners collected 599,897 pounds (300 tons) of unneeded medications at 4,675 collection sites, including Parkland, nationwide.

For more than a decade, DEA's National Prescription Take Back Day has removed almost 17.9 million pounds of unneeded medications from communities across the country. According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a majority of people who use prescription medication for a nonmedical purpose obtained that medication from a family member or friend. Removing unnecessary medications from the home can help prevent situations involving; not taking medication as intended or dosed; taking someone else's prescription; and taking the medicine for euphoric effects rather than medicinal purposes.

Medicines in the home are a leading cause of accidental poisonings in the U.S., according to staff with the North Texas Poison Center located at Parkland. While prescription medications aid in the treatment of many diseases and health problems, it is important to dispose expired or unused medicine properly to avoid these accidents. While there are several ways to dispose of unwanted or expired medicine, Drug Take Back Day is the safest option for your family and the environment.

"Drug Take Back Day is an opportunity to discuss medication safety with your family. Teach your child that medicine should always be given by an adult and teach older children how to take medicine responsibly and only when necessary," said Lizbeth Petty, MPH, Public Health Education Manager with the North Texas Poison Center. "Parents and caregivers can also utilize this as a reminder to make sure they are taking medication correctly and to get rid of expired medications."

For more information about the proper way to dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medications, contact the poison experts at the North Texas Poison Center at Parkland, 1-800-222-1222, or visit www.poisoncontrol.org. For more information about Parkland, visit www.parklandhealth.org.

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