University Hospitals of Cleveland (UH) and Cleveland Clinic are partnering to support “Drug Take-Back Day,” hosting dozens of locations across northeast Ohio to collect unused prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. Most people who misuse prescription drugs get them from family and friends, often from a home medicine cabinet, according to The National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
In an interview with Spectrum News, Dr. David Streem, medical director of the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center at the Cleveland Clinic, said, “It has been such an overwhelming problem, cause of heartache, and grief and death — in northeast Ohio, specifically, and all of Ohio that it has required a spirit of collaboration and partnership between all the health systems.”
“Education is the most important thing. A lot of folks think that just because this is a prescription medication, it’s safe for me to take it and that’s not true,” said Tod J. “TJ” Grimm, director of Retail and Ambulatory Pharmacy Services at University Hospitals.
See the full interview with Dr. Streem and Grimm above.
Here’s more information on collection sites:
ACCEPTABLE ITEMS:
- Prescription medications
- Over-the-counter medications
- Liquid medication in bottles (less than 4 ounces) – package bottles in a Ziploc® bag
ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED:
- Illegal or “street” drugs
- Needles, syringes or sharps containers
- Medical devices and batteries
- Aerosol cans and inhalers
- Mercury-containing devices
- Radiopharmaceuticals
- Liquid antineoplastic (chemo) agents
