Drug Take Back Day in Diamond Bar is April 29

Kaiser Permanente Diamond Bar Medical Offices and the L.A. County Sheriff – Walnut/Diamond Bar Station 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 Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., bring your medications for disposal to Kaiser Permanente Diamond Bar Medical Offices, 1336 Bridgegate Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. A drive-thru in front of the facility 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’ve been hosting Drug Take Back Day for several years at our Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center with very good results. This is our first time partnering with L.A. County Sheriff – Walnut/Diamond Bar Station to provide this opportunity at our Diamond Bar Medical Offices to enable members of the community to safely dispose of unwanted medications,” says Lou Ortega, PharmD, outpatient pharmacy director, Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center. “Medication safety is at the core of our mission in caring for our members and the communities we serve. 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 their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 11.3 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, please visit kp.org/baldwinpark.