Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Prescription Drug Advisory Committee of the Bay Area Alliance will be set up at 5 locations taking back expired or unneeded prescription and non-prescription medications.
The event is held in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Agency to remove dangerous controlled and commonly misused substances from community medicine cabinets. In the last local Take Back initiatives, this group collected more than 7,200 pounds of medications for proper disposal.
The five locations include:
UTMB Specialty Care Center at Victory Lakes – 2240 Gulf Freeway South, League City
Houston Police Dept – Clear Lake Substation – 2855 Bay Area Blvd, Houston
UTMB Health Eye Center – 700 University Blvd, Galveston
City of Webster Fire Station – 18300 Hwy 3, Webster
Hope Lutheran Church – 1804 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood
“This initiative is so important because it keeps these potentially dangerous medications out of the reach of children,” said Jon D. Thompson, director of the Southeast Texas Poison Center. “It prevents abuse, misuse, or accidental poisonings by youth as well as adults.”
According to a 2011 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 52 million people over the age of 12 have used prescription drugs non-medically in their lifetime. According to Bay Area Alliance Coalition Manager Amanda McLauchlin, “This effort encourages everyone to do their part in emptying these potentially hazardous drugs from their medicine cabinets.”
Participants will just “drive through” the drop-off site at each facility where volunteers (including law enforcement and pharmacy personnel) will take medications for proper and secure disposal. The entire process is completely anonymous and no identifying information other than zip code will be requested or noted.
Bay Area Alliance said the effort would not be possible without partners such as the Southeast Texas Poison Center, Texas Pharmacy Board, Drug Enforcement Administration, Friendswood Police Department, Galveston Kiwanis Club, Houston Police Department, Galveston Police Department, UTMB, UTMB Specialty Care Center at Victory Lakes, Hope Lutheran Church, City of Webster Fire and Police, University of Houston Police Academy, the San Jacinto Community College Pharmacy Tech students and Walgreens Pharmacy. For more information, contact the Bay Area Alliance for Youth and Families at 281-284-0370.
