In another step to help curb the opioid epidemic in the community, Inova now has dropoff boxes for safe disposal of unused drugs at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital and Inova Loudoun Hospital.
People can now bring all their unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications to these disposal boxes, which are available for depositing the unused medications any time of day.
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital: The disposal box is located outside the retail pharmacy on the first floor of the main hospital across from the gift shop.
Inova Loudoun Hospital: The disposal box is located at the south hospital entrance near the concierge desk.
In addition to aid in preventing opioid addiction, it’s important to discard old prescriptions if they are no longer needed to prevent medication errors. And over-the-counter medications that have been in cabinets for a while pose a health hazard to toddlers and other family members. Moreover, the program helps keep unneeded medications out of the waterways.
All the drugs being disposed of must be placed in a sealed container, such as the original bottle or zip-close bag. Multiple vials can be emptied into a zip-close bag for disposal; vials should be disposed of in the regular trash at home. Personal information should be removed or marked out with a black permanent marker.
“We’ve had the need for this service a very long time,” says Cathleen Cowden, Regional Director of Pharmacy Services at Inova Fair Oaks, who first proposed the idea of the program to the administration. “Twice a year the Drug Enforcement Agency holds a take-back day, but we want to make it more readily accessible for patients.”
Prescription opioid misuse and abuse has been a problem throughout the United States and locally. In 2016, of the more than 100 drug overdose deaths in Fairfax County, 80 were opioid-related. Besides the Take Back Program, the IFOH Emergency Department (ED) has created an Opioid Safety Initiative Committee, which is designed to scale back the use of opioid orders in the ED.
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Does Fair Oaks hospital have a disposal facility for used insulin pens?
The "Take Back" drop off box at Inova Fair Oaks and Loudoun Hospitals do not accept sharps, including insulin pens. Fairfax County Public and Environmental Services lists materials that can be disposed in regular trash. They state that "Syringes, Needles and Other Medical Sharps: Place in plastic container with screw-on top. Mark the container "residential sharps."
Please find more information at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/recycling-trash/hazardous-waste.