Drug Take Back Day in Baldwin Park is April 30

Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center and the Baldwin Park Police Department are giving the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted medications. On April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., bring your medications for disposal to Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center, 1011 Baldwin Park Blvd., Baldwin Park, CA 91706. A drive-thru service near the patient drop-off at the medical center entrance provides convenient access for residents to drop off unused or expired medications for safe and proper disposal. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Items that will be accepted include controlled substances and non-controlled substances/prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and veterinary medications (pills and solids only). Items that will not be accepted include liquid waste products, intravenous solutions, injectables, syringes, hazardous or household waste (paint, oil, batteries, etc.).

“We are proud to partner with the Baldwin Park Police Department to provide this opportunity for members of the community to safely dispose of unwanted medications,” says Lou Ortega, PharmD, Outpatient Pharmacy Director, Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center. “By properly disposing of prescription drugs, we eliminate expired or unwanted medication that can otherwise pose a hazard to the safety of children, families, local communities, and the environment.”

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that waste away in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that the previous methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.