EvergreenHealth to provide drug disposal and drop-off kiosk

EvergreenHealth Medical Center now offers a secure kiosk in the EvergreenHealth Professional Center Pharmacy on its Kirkland campus to allow staff and community members to drop-off unwanted household medications for collection and disposal.

The new program is part of King County’s Secure Medicine Return regulations aimed at reducing preventable deaths from drug overdoses and to protect public health by keeping waste medicines out of waterways and water supplies.

“This is one of many programs in our area that are critical to addressing medication misuse and painkiller addiction, and we are proud to be part of a solution to offer a secure and environmentally safe way to dispose of unused prescription and household medications as part of our commitment to our community,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte.

Under the regulations, pharmaceutical organizations are required to finance and manage the collection, transportation and disposal of unwanted medicine from King County households. EvergreenHealth’s drop-off kiosk is one of several secure locations across the county.

The kiosk is open during EvergreenHealth Professional Center Pharmacy hours of operation, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. All prescription medications are accepted, free-of-charge, including controlled substances. Community members should bring medicines in their original container or, if they have loose pills, in a zip-lock bag. Mail-back envelopes are also available for residents that are homebound or have limited mobility.

To learn more about the King County Drug Collection and Disposal program and the King County MED-Project, visit www.med-project.org.

For more information on the EvergreenHealth Professional Center Pharmacy and the services it offers, visit www.evergreenhealth.com/pharmacy.