Event date: 4/24/2021 Export event
SVMC Promotes National Prescription Drug Take Back Day April 24
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/ Categories: Events, 2021

SVMC Promotes National Prescription Drug Take Back Day April 24

BENNINGTON, VT—April 8, 2021—Many people who begin to abuse prescriptions find them in the medicine cabinets of family and friends. Disposing of unused medications is one of the most important things community members can do to decrease rates of addiction in their communities.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), would like to encourage everyone to dispose of their unwanted prescription medications properly. That’s why the organization is working to spread the word about Saturday, April 24, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Members of the public are encouraged to visit takebackday.dea.gov to find a take-back location near them.

Every day is a prescription drug take-back day at SVMC, where a drug take-back box in the lobby has allowed members of the public to anonymously dispose of 1,649 pounds of unwanted medications since its installation in July 2017.

The box looks like a mailbox, featuring a one-way medicine drop. It can be used to dispose of unused or expired controlled substances, non-controlled substances, and even over-the-counter medications. The specialized box is available to the public 24 hours each day.

Several features ensure security, including a double-locked front panel. Medications can be removed for disposal only when both a member of the Bennington Police Department and a member of the hospital security staff are present. In addition, the box is monitored by video.

Disposing of unused and expired medications at a drug take-back location prevents the drugs from being abused or sold. In the past, people often flushed medications down a toilet or drain, which can cause pharmaceutical contamination of the water supply.

The program was made possible through The Collaborative; Regional Prevention Partnership, a grant from the Vermont Department of Health; and cooperation from the Bennington Police Department, notably Chief of Police Paul J. Doucette and Lieutenant David Dutcher.

The Collaborative has facilitated the installation of several other permanent take-back boxes in Bennington County. They are located at the Bennington Police Department; the Bennington Sheriff’s Department; the Manchester Police Department; The Pharmacy, Inc. in Bennington; The Pharmacy-Northshire in Manchester; and the Winhall Police Department.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. It has also received the highest marks possible from the Leapfrog Group. 

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

 

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