Ten Northwestern Medicine sites in the Chicago area will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The initiative provides community members with a safe way to dispose of unused or expired medications.
In addition to medication collection, Northwestern Medicine staff will distribute Narcan (naloxone) and provide information about opioid overdose prevention.
“Many people are first exposed to opioids through medications found in the homes of friends or family,” said Sterling Elliott, PharmD, BCMTMS, clinical pharmacist at Northwestern Medicine and assistant professor of orthopedics at Feinberg School of Medicine. “Take Back Day is an important opportunity to remove these drugs from circulation and prevent misuse. Proper disposal helps protect our communities and environment.”
Unused prescription drugs can pose risks such as accidental poisoning, misuse, or overdose. The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that nonmedical use of prescription drugs is the second most common form of drug misuse in the United States.
The drive-up collection sites are located at Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care St. Charles, Valley West Hospital in Sandwich, Kishwaukee Hospital Medical Records Building in DeKalb, Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, McHenry Hospital, Palos Hospital in Palos Heights, Northwestern Memorial Hospital Lavin Family Pavilion in Chicago, Old Irving Park Advanced Outpatient Center in Chicago, and Huntley Hospital.
Northwestern Medicine has also expanded access to Narcan by installing kiosks at seven locations across Chicagoland. The kiosks provide free Narcan nasal spray for emergencies involving opioid overdoses.
“Expanding access to Narcan nasal spray is a critical step in saving lives. The statistics are moving in the right direction,” Elliott said. “We must continue this momentum—DEA data shows that half of all seized street drugs containing fentanyl have to be fatal.”
Narcan kiosks are available at Ben Gordon Center and its Community Support Program in DeKalb; McHenry Hospital; Orland Park Behavioral Health Services; Behavioral Health Services in Sycamore; Central DuPage Hospital Behavioral Health Services; and Woodstock Hospital.
Naloxone (Narcan) can reverse opioid overdoses when administered during an emergency.
