Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara PD, "take back" 558 pounds of old meds

Kaiser Permanente and Santa Clara PD Team Up to Clean Up

            More than 500 pounds of potentially polluting or poisoning pills were taken off the street last weekend as Santa Clara’s Police Department and the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center teamed up for the annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

                The hospital and the police set up a receiving station in a parking lot near the JW House on the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Campus. Several police officers and a team from the Pharmacy Department were on hand to collect unused and out-of-date prescription drugs.

                “We collected 21 Drug Enforcement Administration “Burn Boxes” full of medications,” said Chris Oliva, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Manager of Outpatient Pharmacy. “The event was very successful.”

                Drug Take Back Day is overseen by the DEA as a national effort to dispose safely of unwanted, expired, or unused medications, which are a leading cause of accidental poisoning and/or environmental pollution.

            In Santa Clara, more than 170 cars passed the drop-off point, as the volunteers worked under bright blue Kaiser Permanente pop-up tents. The police department brought their brightly-painted cool cruiser to the event.

            According to Oliva, many of those dropping off their old prescription meds said they were grateful that Kaiser Permanente and the police had set up the drug drop-off.