If you have medications that are expired or no longer needed, you can now more easily and safely dispose of them in Great Bend. The University of Kansas Health System Great Bend Campus has added a medication disposal container for public use near the emergency room registration desk.
“There wasn’t anywhere in Great Bend for people to easily dispose of their medications on a regular basis,” says Paige Nordman, pharmacist, who proposed the hospital add the service. “People would come into the pharmacy and ask us to take medications they no longer needed, and we can’t do that.”
“This service also eliminates the potential for people who are not prescribed the medications to have access to them,” says Jared Smith, director of pharmacy.
People can drop off prescription medications, including controlled substances such as opioids, and over-the-counter medications. Liquid medications must have less than 4 ounces in them and be sealed in a zip-close bag.
Drugs should be disposed of in their original containers. Labels may be left on all containers, including prescription bottles. No one will have access to your medications after you dispose of them.
Some items that can’t be accepted include illegal drugs, inhalers or other aerosols, needles or syringes, and radiopharmaceuticals or chemotherapy drugs.
Collected drugs are routinely shipped to an incineration facility when the disposal bin is full.
“Medication disposal is an important service that is available to anyone in the community,” says Josh Gant, director of ancillary and support services. “People often don’t know what to do with old medications and this service makes it easier to dispose of them.”
The disposal bin is located in the waiting area of the hospital emergency room, near the registration desk. There is no fee to dispose of your medications and no information is collected from people who use it. It is available 5 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
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