Posted: 10/24/2022
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 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 Willie Jenkins with the DCHD Police Department.
Parkland will host the take-back from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29, at its Simmons Ambulatory Surgery Center, 4900 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas 75235. The event is free and open to the public. Community members can drive into the parking lot, hand the medications to a law enforcement officer and drive away with no questions asked.
The October 2021 Take Back Day brought in 744,082 pounds (372 tons) nationwide. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by the DEA since the fall of 2010 to more than 15.2 million pounds of medication.
“Medicines in the home are a leading cause of accidental poisonings in the U.S. and, simply throwing these substances in the trash or flushing them down the drain can result in harm to the environment,” said Lizbeth Petty, MPH, Public Health Education Manager with the North Texas Poison Center at Parkland. “That’s why it’s important to clean out medicine cabinets and turn in medications safely.”
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.