College of Pharmacy to facilitate Medication Cleanout

April 24, 2015 |

The College of Pharmacy and Searcy Police Department will facilitate a drive-thru Medication Cleanout event April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Henry and Grace Farrar Center for Health Sciences.

A typical drug take back program collects prescriptions and immediately incinerates them. The Harding College of Pharmacy, however, aims to proactively find a solution to the surplus of medication. To accomplish this, the college will gather and study additional information such as manufacturer, dosage details, type of pharmacy used and insurance information.

“By dropping off your unused and expired medications at the Medication Cleanout program, you are working to prevent abuse, misuse and poisonings while also protecting the local water supply and landfill from potentially dangerous substances,” said Dr. Kaci Bohn, assistant professor of pharmacy sciences.

Participants will not have to leave their car to drop off medications or answer questions. Instead, College of Pharmacy students will collect all medications from cars that approach. Medications will be immediately transported into the locked building where the data gathering process will begin. All patient information will be removed from the bottle. Items will be sorted, counted and logged into a pharmaceutical collection database.

After the items are logged, the medications will be taken into the possession of local law enforcement to be destroyed in a manner that protects the local water supply and environment.

Prescription medications and samples, non-prescription medications, vitamins and supplements, medications for pets, and nebulizer solutions are acceptable items to drop off. Oxygen tanks, IV fluid bags, and nebulizer or blood glucose machines will not be collected.

The first Medication Cleanout event occurred in Amarillo, Texas, Sept. 12, 2009, to prevent poisonings, misuse and abuse while protecting the environment. Since that time, there have been 22 Medication Cleanout events with more than 9,600 pounds of medication brought in by 3,224 participants.