Kroger Health to hold Drug Take Back events
Kroger Health and Cardinal Health are teaming up once more for Drug Take Back events slated for Saturday, Oct. 29, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The events will take place at more than 150 local pharmacy locations across the country.
“Ralphs Pharmacy is beyond excited to once again collaborate with Cardinal Health and local law enforcement agencies to provide anonymous, safe and convenient locations to safely dispose of any unused or expired prescription drugs,” said Dr. Linh Lee, Pharm.D., director of pharmacy for Ralphs, whose stores in South Pasadena, Valencia, Culver City and Seal Beach, Calif., will host Drug Take Back events. “This step is one we can all take to help strengthen our communities and help people live healthier lives.”
[Read more: Kroger embarks on hiring spree]
“At Cardinal Health, it's always a priority for us to help lead the fight against prescription medication misuse,” added Jessie Cannon, vice president of community relations at Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health. “We are honored to work with like-minded organizations such as Kroger Health … who are committed to improving the health of our communities and reducing prescription medication misuse. By providing centralized locations for community members to dispose of medication safely, we are helping keep our communities safe.”
The events are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local law enforcement officers will be on hand to accept unused, unwanted or expired pills, liquids, gels, over-the-counter (OTC) medications and patches (no medications will be accepted inside stores). Also during the events, Kroger Health pharmacy associates will give out free reusable totes with DisposeRx at-home medication disposal packets, mental health resources, and materials relating to Cardinal Health’s Generation Rxprevention, education and awareness program, while supplies last.
Cardinal Health has partnered with Kroger Health on nationwide drug take back events for several years. To date, more than 115,000 pounds of unused prescription drugs have been collected for safe disposal during these events. The complete list of Kroger Health drug take back event locations across the country is available online.
[Read more: U.S. Senators, industry orgs oppose proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger]
According to the Washington, D.C.-based Health Policy Institute, a stunning 66% of U.S. adults are taking prescription drugs, which raises the level of concern regarding potential misuse of expired or unused medications.
Kroger Health, the health care division of Kroger, has more than 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14 million customers, and a team of 22,000 health care practitioners. Serving 60 million households annually nationwide through a digital shopping experience, and almost 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names.
This story originally appeared on Progressive Grocer.