Successful Rx Take-Back Case Studies Link

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Pharmaceutical Take-Back Case Studies--Models of Success

Collection programs are aimed at reducing the quantity of unused
pharmaceuticals entering
the environment and reducing the amount of drugs available for
diversion, theft, or accidental
poisoning. These initiatives provide the legal framework and the
logistic resources required to
allow the general public to turn in pharmaceuticals to be disposed of
safely (most of the
programs described here use hazardous waste incineration with
emissions controls for most non-
controlled medicines, while law enforcement normally incinerates
controlled substances with
other confiscated materials).

The full information:

http://www.iisgcp.org/unwantedmeds/updatedToolkitMaterials/2.0CaseStudies.pdf


An Ohio Model:

http://www.olmstedfalls.org/meddisposal.htm

Olmsted Falls, Ohio

Program Overview: The City of Olmsted Falls, Ohio (population 8,600)
developed a medication
disposal program in conjunction with a nearby hospital, Southwest
General Health Center (354
beds). The Medication Disposal Program was launched in April 2006 as a
pilot program. If there
is continued interest, the hospital may expand participation to
neighboring communities.

The program allows individuals to drop off outdated or unwanted
medications at Southwest
General Health Center's Protection Services Office (security office).
The office is staffed 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. The hospital will accept non-prescription
(OTC), prescription, and
pet medications, as well as pills, ointments, liquids (the bottle must
be placed inside a sealed
plastic bag), and lotions. However, controlled substances are not
accepted. The health center also
cannot accept syringes, asthma inhalers or other drugs in aerosol
canisters, or chemotherapy
drugs. After collection, a professional medical waste handler
processes the drugs safely in
accordance with Ohio law.

Special 28-gallon collection containers are used to store the drugs
until the medical waste
handler picks them up for processing. The containers are located in a
secure area of the security
office.

If individuals are unable to drop off the medications themselves, they
can call Southwest
General's Health Connection. This health information and referral
service will arrange a pick-up
by a community volunteer.

Program planners developed a trifold brochure introducing the issue of
medicine disposal and
publicizing the program (included in section 4 of this resource kit).

Sites: Medications can be dropped off at the Protection Services
Office at Southwest General
Health Center between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day.

Key Motivation: The main motivators for this collection program are:

1) To get old medicines out of the home medicine cabinet in order to
avoid dosing errors and
attempts at self-medication with out-of-date drugs, especially among
senior citizens;
2) To get old medicines out of homes to avoid accidental poisonings,
especially among
children;
3) To reduce the potential for intentional abuse of medicines;
4) To dispose of medication responsibly and keep it out of landfills
and the water supply,
where it can cause harm to wildlife and the environment; and
5) To safeguard patient privacy by keeping medication vials out of
landfills, where personal
information could be discovered;
6) To further enhance and extend the Health Center's commitment to
recycling efforts and
community health and well-being. The hospital already sponsors a
yearly collection
program for mercury thermometers, and saw this program as another
opportunity to serve
the community.

Updated July 16, 2007 13

Organizing Body: The pharmaceutical disposal program is primarily run
by the Southwest
General Health Center in partnership with the City of Olmsted Falls.

Partners: University Hospitals of Cleveland also assisted in the
development of this program.

Level of Implementation: This collection program is implemented at the
local level, primarily for
residents of Olmsted Falls, OH, and the surrounding suburbs. This was
started as a pilot
program, and organizers hope that other communities will become
involved this year.

Cost: Staff members of the hospital worked with a city councilman and
a volunteer member of
the community to develop, implement and promote the program. The
hospital absorbed the costs
of the brochure printing and the disposal costs of the medications
collected. There is a $60 flat
fee to dispose of each container.

Outcome: The program is ongoing; collection statistics are not
available at this time.

Contacts: Kristin Jacobs
Volunteer promoter/Resident of Olmsted Falls
E-mail: kristinj...@yahoo.com
Phone: 440-527-1398 (cell)
http://www.olmstedfalls.org/meddisposal.htm


Mary Van Dalen
Corporate Communications Department
Southwest General Health Center
Phone: (440) 816-8000
www.swgeneral.com