Looking for a way to safely dispose of your unused or expired prescription medications?
The Department of Veterans Affairs is inviting the public to participate in its annual VA Medication Take Back Days to safely and securely dispose of unused or expired medicine — including controlled substance prescriptions.
“VA is opening our doors to the public for Medication Take Back Days because disposing of expired and unused medicine is critical to keeping veterans and all Americans safe,” said VHA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal in a release.
The event will take place on Oct. 28 and 29. All 341 VA medical facilities across the country will be open for dropoffs.
“It’s important for each of us to go through our medications regularly and dispose of them appropriately,” continued Elnahal. “By taking this small but significant action, we are not only protecting ourselves, but we are also protecting our families, friends, and others from accidental poisoning or overdosing.”
He encouraged all Americans to properly dispose of opioids and all unused or expired medications — in secure receptacles — to promote safe usage and help fight the nation’s opioid overdose epidemic.
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Veterans and others should contact the local VA Medical Center in their area for event information.
Since establishing the National Pain Management Strategy and Opopod Safety Initiative in 2013, VA has reduced opioid prescribing overall by approximately 65%. Additionally, 379,400 veterans have received more than 795,400 prescriptions for Naloxone from 42,700 VA healthcare professionals. Of that, 2,935 reported overdose reversals have been identified through August 2022.
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The event coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Days.
Veterans enrolled in VA care can bring their expired or unused medications to their VA Medical Center site of care for disposal any time by contacting their local VA Police Service or VA Pharmacy.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.