Summit County Community Partnership – Safe Drug Disposal

CUYAHOGA FALLS — Summit County Community Partnership officials announced Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals has donated 40,000 drug deactivation pouches to be distributed by community partners to patients and their families in Summit County to provide a safe and responsible drug disposal method, preventing abuse and misuse of leftover prescription medication.

The user-friendly, pouch-based system, distributed as part of the company’s nationwide $1.5-million donation initiative to help combat the abuse of prescription pain medications, deactivates prescription drugs and renders chemical compounds safe for landfills. After filling the specially formulated pouch with regular tap water, it can be sealed and thrown away with household trash.

Summit County Community Partnership, a consortium of community resources committed to preventing substance abuse, will distribute the pouches through more than 35 community partners.

Shown above is New Choice Pharmacy’s Daniel Stratton offering one of the pouches to a customer. Western Reserve Hospital officials said their pouches will be distributed to patients following their outpatient surgery or discharge from the hospital.

“We’re grateful for Western Reserve Hospital’s leadership to safely reduce availability and access to unused prescription opiates,” said Darryl Brake, executive director for the Summit County Community Partnership. “This partnership provides patients an easy method of safely disposing prescription opiates as soon as they are no longer needed. If each pouch Western Reserve distributes is used to capacity, 7,500 prescription opiates will be safely disposed, reducing the risk of them hitting the streets.”

“Safe and effective disposal is the first step in combating drug abuse in our communities,” added Dr. Robert Kent, president and CEO of Western Reserve Hospital. “We are committed to helping the patients, parents and families of Summit County to prevent abuse and misuse of prescription medications.”