U.S. Naval Hospital Naples encourages patients to clean out their medicine cabinets

Photo By Lt.Cmdr. Willie R Barksdale | U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Naples kicked off its Drug Take Back Program October 25 to help its community safely get rid of unused prescriptions. The hospital’s new program offers secure drop boxes near its pharmacy so unused, unwanted and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications can easily be disposed of during normal business hours. USNH Naples is comprised of the main hospital, Branch Health Clinic at Capodichino, and a Navy liaison detachment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany. The 500 staff members of USNH Naples provide high quality, patient-centered care to approximately 10,000 active duty, family members, retirees, operational and NATO forces, and other eligible patients through internal collaboration and status of force agreements.  

NAPLES, ITALY

10.25.2017

Story by Lt.Cmdr. Willie R Barksdale 

U.S. Naval Hospital Naples

U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Naples kicked off its Drug Take Back Program October 25 to help its community safely get rid of unused prescriptions.
The hospital’s new program offers secure drop boxes near its pharmacy so unused, unwanted and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications can easily be disposed of during normal business hours.
By encouraging the proper disposal of medications, USNH Naples hopes to diminish surplus prescription drugs that have the potential to be misused or abused. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, more than 70 percent of prescription pain drug abuse involved drugs obtained from a friend or relative, and nearly one third of suicide attempts among veterans involve prescription medication. Safe and effective disposal can reduce these risks.
"Prescription drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States. We can now do our part to remove and eliminate that risk from our Naples’s community,” said Capt. Steve Blivin, USNH Naples commanding officer. “We all should be proud to be one the first overseas medical treatment facilities in the Navy to provide this service to our patients.”
Along with reducing the risk of prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse, the program also provides the hospital community with an environmentally responsible way to dispose of medications so they don’t get introduced to local water supplies and landfills.

The drop boxes, one for solids and another for liquids, can accept most medications. Acceptable items for disposal are legal prescription or over-the-counter drugs pills, tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, lotions, powders and liquid medicines. No more than four ounces of liquid medicines can be accepted and it must be placed in sealable plastic bags before being placed in the drop box. All medications should have the prescription labels removed.

Items that cannot be turned in are illegal drugs, needles, syringes or sharp containers, batteries, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, and aerosol spray cans. For inhalers, the drug component can be turned in, but the aerosol container cannot be.

Pharmacy staff are not allowed to accept medications for disposal, individuals must physically put the drugs in the collection bin or envelopes themselves.

Detailed information is posted on each drop box about what can and cannot be disposed of. USNH Naples pharmacy staff can also answer questions about use of the drop box and other concerns.

USNH Naples is comprised of the main hospital, Branch Health Clinic at Capodichino, and a Navy liaison detachment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany. The 500 staff members of USNH Naples provide high quality, patient-centered care to approximately 10,000 active duty, family members, retirees, operational and NATO forces, and other eligible patients through internal collaboration and status of force agreements.

• Date Taken: 10.25.2017
• Date Posted: 11.06.2017 07:02
• Story ID: 254225
• Location: NAPLES, IT