If you have expired or unused medications in your home, now is the time to round them up for safe disposal.

As part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the Lamar Police Department is holding their annual collection event on April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lamar City Complex, 102 E. Parmenter St. To drop off medications, pull in from Parmenter Street to the west side of the police department.

You may drop off prescriptions or over-the-counter medications in tablet or capsule form. Inhalers, nebulizers, sharps, chemotherapy medications and illicit drugs will NOT be accepted.

Started in 2010, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs. This program also brings awareness about the potential for abuse of medications while preventing prescription drug misuse. Since 2016, more than 232,000 pounds of unused prescription drugs have been collected in Colorado alone.

“People often hold onto their unused prescription medication just in case they might need them in the future,” said Robin Thacker, Prowers Medical Center’s Pharmacist. “But the dangers of accumulating drugs far outweigh any potential benefits. Having unused drugs in your home puts people at risk.”

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 50% of people who have misused prescription pain relievers obtained them from a friend or relative. Sometimes the drugs are passed along knowingly, and sometimes they are stolen from the person for whom they were originally prescribed.

What’s more, young children may consume drugs without understanding what they are, leading to illness or death. By properly disposing of unused medications, the risk is lowered for unintentional medication poisoning.

In addition to the National Take Back Day event, other safe medication disposal options for Prowers County residents year-round include:

Lamar Police Department – 102 E. Parmenter St.

Drop off medications Mon – Fri, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Medications accepted:
• Over-the-counter medications (tablet or capsule) • Prescription medications (tablet or capsule)

Before any test or procedure is performed, the patient’s name and date of birth is always verbally verified. Now we are adding patient photos to the process as well.

Your photo will be captured and added to your electronic medical record. Any time one of our team members is providing you with a service, they will see your photo on their screen and confirm it is indeed the person they are caring for. Studies have shown that this simple visual tool significantly reduces medical errors and enhances communication between caregiver and patient.

Prowers County Sheriff’s Office – 103 E. Oak St. Drop off medications Mon – Fri, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Medications accepted:
• Over-the-counter medications (tablet or capsule) • Prescription medications (table or capsule)
• Liquid medications (sealed in original container)
• Prescription patches
• Medicated ointments
• Vitamins

Safeway Pharmacy – 906 E. Olive St.

Drop off medications Mon – Fri, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sat, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sun 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Medications accepted:
• Over-the-counter medications (tablet or capsule) • Prescription medications (tablet or capsule)
• Liquid medications (sealed in original container)
• Inhalers
• Pet medications

Questions about disposal of unused medications?

Call the Prowers Medical Center Pharmacist at 719-336-4343.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recommends dropping off medications at one of the locations mentioned above, but if this is not possible, some medications can be safely flushed down the toilet. Check the FDA’s flush list to see if your medication is on the list. You can view the FDA’s “flush list” by visiting “Drug Disposal: FDA’s Flush List for Certain Medicines” at fda.gov.

“Sharps” is a medical term for devices like needles, syringes, fingerstick lancets and infusion sets that puncture the skin. They are often used in the home for medical conditions such as allergies, arthritis, cancer,

diabetes, blood-clotting disorders and more. Proper disposal is important because sharps can transmit blood-borne infections and are a safety hazard. You may safely dispose of sharps in your household trash in this manner:

• Use a sharps container purchased from a pharmacy or other source, or use a strong plastic container (HDPE plastic with #2 recycling symbol) with a screw-top lid. Used laundry detergent bottles work well. Never use paper or plastic milk jugs. They can puncture. Never use glass containers. They can break and make the hazard worse.

• Never put a container of sharps in with recyclables. Sharps are not recyclable, and not only can they pose an infection risk to workers at recycling facilities, but they can also render whole batches of recyclables unusable.

• Used sharps should never be placed loosely in the trash or flushed down the toilet.

• Containers of sharps should be clearly labeled as “Sharps” or “Biohazard Waste.”

• Once filled, the container should be firmly sealed (tape the lid) to prevent spillage.

• Store the sealed sharps container away from children and pets.

• Place the sealed sharps container in the trash on the day it gets picked up or taken to a landfill.

Visit cdphe.colorado.gov for more details on safely disposing of sharps.