Prescription Drug Take Back event set for Oct. 28 in Hershey
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will host a community Drive-Thru Prescription Drug Take Back event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Academic Support Building, 90 Hope Drive in Hershey. The event provides for the safe and convenient disposal of unwanted, unneeded or expired medications. Needles and syringes will also be accepted for disposal. No medications, needles or syringes will be accepted before 10 a.m. on Oct. 28.
It is important that expired and unused drugs be removed from the home because:
- expired medications have passed their half-life and can become ineffective. The chemical composition of the drugs can change over time and they could become potentially harmful or less potent.
- it reduces the risk of children finding them and accidently harming themselves or misusing them.
- it eliminates the temptation to self-medicate using someone else's prescriptions.
Improperly disposed medications that are flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash could end up in the water supply and landfills. The Derry Township Police Department also has a secure drop box that is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the station lobby at 620 Clearwater Drive in Hershey. This box does not accept needles, aerosols, inhalers, liquids, ointments and creams.
For more information on this topic, check out the following resources:
- The Medical Minute: Improper disposal of needles and syringes poses problems
- The Medical Minute: The dangers of dated prescription drugs
- More information on the proper disposal of unwanted or expired medications can be found here.
- More information on Drug Take-Back events and drop box locations can be found here.
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