DENVER — Leftover medications can lead to dangerous consequences, and every year millions of unused prescription medications are removed from the streets through the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
This year, Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 23. There are dozens of drop-off locations in Colorado. You can find one near you through the search page on the DEA’s website.
In conjunction with Take Back Day, HealthONE hospitals are hosting their 3rd annual “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid misuse and proper disposal of medications.
Opioid addiction is a national health crisis. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70,630 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2019, with more than 70% attributed to opioids. A significant number of opioid addictions and overdose death come from individuals accessing unused opioids prescriptions of family and friends.
At the five HealthOne locations listed below, Law enforcement officers from the various Police Departments will be collecting: tablets, capsules and patches of Hydrocodone (Norco, Lortab, Vicodin), Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), Tramadol (Ultram), Codeine, Fentanyl (Duragesic), Morphine, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and Oxymorphone (Opana).
Any medications are accepted, however, officers will not be able to accept needles, syringes, lancets, inhalers or liquids.
Officers will be at the following locations from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturday:
- Centennial Hospital, 14200 E Arapahoe Rd, Centennial (main entrance of the hospital on the south side of the facility facing Briarwood Ave)
- The Medical Center of Aurora, 1501 South Potomac Street, Aurora (parking lot north of the hospital on Potomac Street between E. Arkansas Drive and E. Louisiana Avenue)
- North Suburban Medical Center, Thornton Police Department, 9551 Civic Center Drive, Thornton (collection area will be in the parking lot in front of the Police Station)
- Sky Ridge Medical Center, 10101 RidgeGate Parkway, Lone Tree (patient discharge area on the southeast side of the campus, near the Emergency Department)
- Swedish Medical Center, 501 E. Hampden, Englewood (parking lot located just south of the hospital near the main circle driveway on Hampden)
Other locations for prescription drug drop-off can be found at TakeBackDay.DEA.gov.
