Prescription Drug Take Back Day at Local Healthcare Facilities
By Felicity Mae Gomer
Brush the dust off of your old pill bottles and prescribed oddities at the backs of your cabinets: Today, April 24, you can safely dispose of them at one of multiple drive-through HCA Healthcare facilities in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. Celebrate National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by purging your expired, unwanted, or unnecessary medications.
Drugs that facilities will accept include capsules, tablets, patches, and other solid drugs. Additionally, they will accept vaping devices and cartridges if the lithium batteries are taken out. No liquids, sharps or illegal drugs will be accepted.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to thank for the Take Back Day efforts and has been for the past 10 years. They have brought in nearly 7,000 tons of prescription drugs; these lessen the risk of drug abuse since most abused prescription drugs are found in the homes of people they know. Disposing of your drugs safely decreases exposure to dangerous medications and helps in lowering overdose deaths.
This year, the effort is fervent: The past year has seen more deaths due to drug overdose than in any year prior. Having begun even before the COVID-19 pandemic started, the outbreak only accelerated these numbers. From July 2019 to July 2020, 83,544 Americans died of overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This period holds the largest number of overdose-related deaths ever recorded.
The following locations will be accepting your prescription medications Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.:
Orange County
- Baldwin Park ER (2361 N. Semoran Blvd.)
- Hunter’s Creek ER (12100 S. John Young Parkway)
- Millenia ER (4056 Millenia Blvd.)
- UCF Lake Nona Medical Center (6700 Lake Nona Blvd.) – new location now open!
Seminole County
- Heathrow ER (4525 International Parkway)
- Oviedo Medical Center (8300 Red Bug Lake Rd.)
Osceola County
- Osceola Regional Medical Center (700 West Oak St.)
- Poinciana Medical Center (325 Cypress Parkway)
