Northwestern Medicine to host six prescription drug collection sites on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
HUNTLEY – For the first time, Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital will join other Northwestern Medicine locations in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Northwestern Medicine will host six collection sites from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23.
These collection sites will allow community members to safely dispose of their unused medications in a drive-up fashion.
Jill Edgeworth, the media relations manager for Northwestern Medicine, said in an Oct. 6 press release that “unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to potential accidental poisoning, misuse, and overdose.”
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America.
A 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that the majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
The Northwestern Medicine drive-up collection sites will include:
Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital
Medical Office Building #2
10370 Haligus Road, Huntley
Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital
Bays Medical Building entrance
900 North Westmoreland Road, Lake Forest
Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital
East Entrance Roundabout
25 North Winfield Road, Winfield
Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care St. Charles
(On the east side of the parking lot by Kirk Road)
2900 Foxfield Road, Suite 100, St. Charles
Northwestern Medicine Valley West Hospital
1302 North Main Street, Sandwich
Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital
Medical Records Building (one driveway south of the main hospital)
2731 Sycamore Road, DeKalb
Event staff will be wearing masks and following physical distancing protocols. Northwestern Medicine Hospital advises individuals who are dropping off unused medications to wear a mask in their vehicle when interacting with event staff.
Sharps and liquids will not be accepted, and Take Back Day is for community members only, not for commercial organizations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 136 people die every day from an opioid overdose. Roughly 21 to 29% of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.
“At Northwestern Medicine, efforts have been made to reduce the number of opioids providers prescribe, while also offering safe disposal options for patients, particularly after surgeries,” said Edgeworth via the Oct. 6 press release.
National Drug Take Back Day is a safe, convenient and responsible way to dispose of unused opioids and other prescription medications.
“If you throw unused medications in the trash, they can be retrieved and abused, or illegally sold. If you flush them, they can contaminate the water supply,” said Edgeworth.
Find more information about safe medication storage and disposal at nm.org/safemeddisposal.
For more information on prescription drug misuse, visit www.DEATakeBack.com. To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit news.nm.org/about-northwestern-medicine.html.
