Calendar: 'Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day' is May 7

The following was submitted for publication on behalf of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation:

WHAT: Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day – sponsored by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

• An opportunity for residents to safely rid their homes of unwanted, potentially dangerous drugs
• Have questions answered about how to overcome the struggle with addiction to alcohol and other drugs and co-occurring disorders such as trauma and chronic pain from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation staff.

WHEN: Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

WHERE: Rite Aid parking lot, 74958 Country Club Drive in Palm Desert

WHY: Medicine cabinets are often filled with prescription drugs no longer used, or ones that expired long ago. Disposal of unused drugs has become an important public health issue as rates of prescription drug abuse, accidental poisoning and the incidence of drugs found in the drinking water have dramatically increased. Many medications can pass though waste treatment facilities virtually intact and freshwater habitats have been found contaminated with synthetic estrogen, opioid derivatives and other drug chemistry.

HOW: Coachella Valley Residents can prevent leftover prescription and expired over-the-counter drugs from falling into the wrong hands or polluting the environment by participating with their community Saturday, May 7 to safely and legally dispose of these unwanted chemicals in their medicine cabinet. In the wrong hands, these drugs could be harmful to our environment or worse, be used by children, or criminals.

“As you clean out your medicine cabinet, you may find unused opioids, such as Vicodin and OxyContin,” says Jim Steinhagen, vice president for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Rancho Mirage. “We are especially concerned about opioids because they are highly addictive and can cause death from overdose.”

Items that will be accepted on “Clean Out” day:

• Expired or unwanted prescription medications
• Over-the-counter medications
• Out-of-date vitamins and supplements
• Veterinary medications
• Medications from deceased family members
• Unknown tablets or capsules

Unacceptable Items:

Sharps or Needles

Mercury Thermometers

Medical Waste to include used and/or blood soaked bandages

(Image via Shutterstock)