PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)– We all want to keep our loved ones safe on Saturday’s Drug Take Back Day.
OSF Healthcare is reminding Peorians how important it is to safely dispose of their prescription medications.
The senior vice president of OSF Healthcare’s Pharmacy says you want to keep those meds out of the hands of small children and pets who could potentially overdose.
Jerry Storm says proper disposal also keeps the drugs out of our waterways and away from marine life.
“We sponsor this with the DEA twice a year in October and in April,” says “Storm. “The one in April I always say ‘do your spring cleaning,’ just like you clean your house.”
He says don’t hang on to those drugs still sitting in your medicine cabinet for a rainy day; definitely get rid of them.
Drop off your unneeded medication Saturday at OSF Center for Health, 8600 Route 91 in Peoria from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The opioid epidemic continues to surge and fentanyl is a deadly concern.
According to Storm, it’s more important than ever to dispose of your old, unwanted, or expired meds that can be a gateway to addiction.
“Just take the whole container and stick it right in (the drop-off),” Storm says. “The DEA picks these up from the Peoria Police Department the next day with a semi-truck and hauls them down to Indianapolis; they just get incinerated and burned. So whether they’re in a container or not, they’re going to be ashes when they come out.”
