Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital partners with local law enforcement agencies for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
HUNTLEY — Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital announced on April 14, that they will be participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by hosting eight collection sites from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30.
“Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to potential accidental poisoning, misuse, and overdose,” stated Jill Edgeworth, the media contact for Northwestern Medicine.
The event will allow community members to safely dispose of their unused medications at the drive-up locations.
“National Prescription Drug Take Back Day provides an opportunity for our community to join together to help reduce prescription drug abuse,” said Erick Borkowski, PharmD, director of pharmacy at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital. “By providing convenient locations to safely dispose of unused or expired medications, we can all do our part to reduce prescription drug misuse that plagues us both locally and across the country.”
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks as the second-most-common form of drug use in America.
“The success of the DEA’s National Prescription Take Back Day events is not possible without working together with law enforcement agencies and healthcare providers like Northwestern Medicine,” said Robert J. Bell, special agent in charge of the DEA Chicago Division. “The large amounts of unwanted prescription drugs collected on Take Back Day each year reflect our shared commitment to the safety and health of our communities.”
The eight Northwestern Medicine drive-up collection sites will be located at:
Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital, Medical Office Building 2 (use the driveway on the north side of the building), 10370 Haligus Road, Huntley
Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, Bays Medical Building entrance, 900 North Westmoreland Road, Lake Forest
Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, 12251 South 80th Avenue, Palos Heights
Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care St. Charles (on the east side of the parking lot by Kirk Road), 2900 Foxfield Road, St. Charles
Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Medical Records Building (one driveway south of the main hospital), 2731 Sycamore Road, DeKalb
Northwestern Medicine Valley West Hospital, 1302 North Main Street, Sandwich
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, 250 East Superior Street, Chicago
Sharps and liquids will not be accepted, and Take Back Day is for community members only, not for commercial organizations.
For more information about safe medication storage and disposal visit nm.org/safemeddisposal.
Residents can find out more about prescription drug misuse by visiting www.DEATakeBack.com.
To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit news.nm.org/about-northwestern-medicine.html.
