Courtesy photograph

The MedSafe box is now located in the 412th Medical Group Pharmacy at the main clinic. The box offers a safe way to dispose of unneeded or old medications.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high.
The majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
Unused prescription medication in homes creates a public health and safety concern. They are highly susceptible to accidental ingestion, diversion, misuse and abuse. Many unwanted medications pile up because there was no safe or secure way to dispose of them. However, recent revisions to drug regulations now allow a method for such disposal, to include controlled substances.
The 412th Medical Group Pharmacy has implemented a blue “MedSafe” medication disposal box (located in the pharmacy waiting area) for use by all personnel with base access to safely and securely dispose of unused medications. The receptacle’s one-way drop door is open to accept deposits during the pharmacy’s normal hours of operation from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The medication disposal box provides amnesty to patients while removing unneeded medications from homes, helping prevent the risk of misuse or abuse.
The double-locked steel collection box is securely fastened to a permanent structure and the removable serialized liner is tracked and transported by independent authorized carriers for destruction. The method for the destruction of controlled drugs renders the medication completely unusable through incineration, while also preventing contamination of ground water.
The types of medications accepted for disposal in the box include prescription, over-the-counter and controlled-substance medications, vitamins, lotions/ointment, liquid medication in leak-proof containers, and transdermal skin patches. There is no need to pour the medications out of their vials; the original container may be used when depositing the unwanted medication.
Items not suitable for deposit in the MedSafe containers include: needles (sharps), thermometers, illicit drugs, infectious waste/medical waste, personal-care products, hydrogen peroxide, aerosol cans and inhalers.