Fort Campbell, KY – Do you have unused or expired medications lying around the house? You can dispose of them safely and anonymously during National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day April 30th from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Fort Campbell in the Post Exchange parking lot or the Town Center Pharmacy parking lot. While the medication disposal event is anonymous, law enforcement officers will be standing nearby for security reasons.
“The home medicine cabinet is the source for the majority of abused prescription drugs,” said Fort Campbell Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) coordinator Rex Stevenson. In addition, medication in the home is often the source for accidental poisoning and overdose.
“While I encourage everyone to remove unused or expired medication from their homes, it is important that disposal methods don’t harm children, pets or the environment,” added Stevenson.
Fort Campbell’s ASAP, the Provost Marshall and Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH) are working together to offer safe and anonymous medication disposal to anyone with access to the post. Tablets, capsules, and all other solid medication will be collected. For safety reasons, intravenous solutions, injectables, and syringes will not be accepted.
“If you can’t make it to this year’s drug take-back event, be sure to follow the FDA’s guidelines for proper medication disposal at home,” said BACH Pharmacy Chief Maj. Paul Kassebaum. “We don’t want children or pets to accidentally ingest unused or expired medication that is just tossed in the trash.”
The FDA recommends mixing them with water and something unappealing, such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds. Place the mixture in a sealable plastic bag or container and place it in the household trash. The FDA only recommends flushing a limited number of medications to prevent danger to people and pets in the home. A list can be found by searching “Disposal of Unused Medicines” at www.fda.gov.
