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University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic will partner to host National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 26, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at more than a dozen collection locations across Northeast Ohio.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a biannual event where communities throughout the country set up collection sites for the safe disposal of expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications. Proper disposal of unused drugs can prevent accidental poisoning, misuse, and overdose.
“We want to ensure people can safely get rid of unused medications in their home,” said Michael Carlin, Vice President of Hospital Pharmacy Operations at University Hospitals. “These medications have the potential to be mishandled or abused. It’s why we are giving the community resources to intervene if someone in their life has an overdose.”
All UH drug take-back sites will offer free naloxone kits, and fentanyl test strips courtesy of Project DAWN. This continued effort to make naloxone widely available remains a key strategy in fighting the opioid epidemic. The comprehensive approach appears to be working to combat the opioid crisis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported provisional data predicting a nearly 24% decline in drug overdose deaths in the U.S. for the 12 months ending in September 2024, compared to the previous year. Although encouraging, overdose is still a leading cause of death for people between the ages of 18-44 and remains a public health emergency.
"We are proud to continue collaborating with University Hospitals on this important issue,” said Lindsey Amerine, Pharm.D., Chief Pharmacy Officer at Cleveland Clinic. “Ensuring the public has access to safe disposal of unused drugs is an important way to reduce accidental or deliberate misuse of medication in our communities. Drug Take-Back Day serves as a great reminder for individuals to check their medicine cabinets for prescriptions that should be removed from their homes.”
UH Ahuja, Lake West, Portage, and TriPoint medical centers will provide no-cost glucose, and blood pressure health screenings during this event.
“This continued collaboration between University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic is vital to ensure communities have the tools and support to dispose of unneeded medications,” said Jeanne Lackamp, MD, Chair, Department of Psychiatry at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Director, Behavioral Health Institute at UH Health System. “Together we can prevent substance misuse.”
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Collection Locations:
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Cleveland Clinic: Andrea Pacetti, pacetta@ccf.org
University Hospitals: Maia Belay-Roberts, Maia.Belay-Roberts@UHhospitals.org
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 82,600 employees worldwide are more than 5,786 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,700 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,728-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 280 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2024, there were 15.7 million outpatient encounters, 333,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 320,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 112 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at x.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources are available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
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Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of more than 20 hospitals (including five joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship quaternary care, academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Oxford University, Taiwan National University College of Medicine and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. The main campus also includes the UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, with more than 3,000 active clinical trials and research studies underway. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to 19 Clinical Care Delivery and Research Institutes. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with more than 30,000 employees. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.
