In conjunction with the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Methodist Healthcare is hosting “Crush the Crisis” on Oct. 29.
Methodist Healthcare holds this annual event as a way to take medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, out of the house and safely dispose of them.
Chloe Power, Community Engagement Manager at Methodist Healthcare, said many medications kept around the house can be abused.
Recently, there has been an uptick in Fentanyl related deaths. In Hays County, four high-school students died this summer from Fentanyl overdoses.
“We want to help make sure that this drug, along with others, are not held on to where anyone can get a hold of them and abuse them,” Power said.
Often, it’s easy to forget you have medicines in your house, or maybe you just aren’t sure how to dispose of them.
Unused medication thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or sold illegally, Power said. And flushing medications down the toilet can pose potential health and environmental hazards.
During the Crush the Crisis event, Methodist Healthcare will be collecting prescription medication, over-the-counter medications, liquids, pills, patches, and even pet medications.
The event will be held at three Methodist locations: Methodist ER Legacy Trails, Methodist ER Nacogdoches, and Methodist ER Alamo Heights.
Medication collections will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot. You don’t even need to get out of your car. It will be a drive-thru event whereby SAPD officers will collect your medications from you.
For more information, you can visit Methodist Healthcare’s website at SAHealth.com.