Parkland Calls for Proper Disposal of Drugs
In preparation for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 27, Parkland Health & Hospital System and the Dallas County Hospital District Police Department are raising awareness of the harmful effects of improperly disposed of medications and the disposal services available to Parkland residents during the national take-back day.
Unwanted or expired medication can often fall into unsavory hands or contaminate the soil and water. In the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, researchers found that 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs, the majority of which came from sources close at hand.
“Abused medications are frequently obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet, and their misuse is very dangerous and often tragic,” said Muhammad Nasir, senior lead staff physician at Parkland’s Bluitt-Flowers Health Center. “That’s why it’s important for folks to clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in unneeded or expired medications safely.”
The National Drug Take Back Day event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oct. 27 at the following locations:
- Parkland’s Simmons Ambulatory Surgery Center, 4900 Harry Hines Blvd.
- Bluitt-Flowers Health Center, 303 E. Overton Road
- Southeast Dallas Health Center, 9202 Elam Road
- Garland Health Center, 802 Hopkins St., Garland
- Vickery Women’s Health Center, 8224 Park Lane, Ste. 130
- deHaro-Saldivar Health Center, 1400 N. Westmoreland Road
Medications can be turned into law enforcement officers on location both anonymously and with no questions asked.
“Our main goal is to help prevent accidental poisonings, misuse, and overdoses by offering convenient places throughout the community for people to drop off medications that are expired or are no longer needed,” said Miranda Skaaning, Parkland sustainability manager.
For more information about the proper way to dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medications, contact the poison experts at the North Texas Poison Center at Parkland, 800-222-1222 or visit www.poisoncontrol.org.
Additional locations:
| UNIVERSITY PARK POLICE DEPT | Map | |
| HIGHLAND PARK DEPT OF PUBLIC SAFETY | Map | |
| DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT EXALL RECREATION CENTER |
Map | |
| DALLAS COUNTY HOSP DIST PD AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTER |
Map | |
| DALLAS ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL |
Map | |
| BOWIE POLICE DEPT | Map | |
| DALLAS COUNTY HOSP DIST PD VICKERY WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTER |
Map | |
| METHODIST HEALTH SYSTEM POLICE DEPT HITT AUDITORIUM AND SERVICE BUILDING |
Map | |
| DALLAS POLICE SUBSTATION NORTHEAST DIVISION |
Map | |
| FARMERS BRANCH POLICE DEPT | Map | |
| DALLAS COUNTY HOSP DIST PD BLUITT-FLOWERS CENTER |
Map | |
| DALLAS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE POLICE RICHLAND COLLEGE/DCCCD PARKING LOT E |
Map | |
| DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT BECKLEY SANER RECREATION CENTER |
Map | |
| IRVING POLICE DEPT CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER |
Map | |
| RICHARDSON POLICE DEPT RICHARDSON CIVIC CENTER/SOUTH PARKING LOT |
Map | |
| IRVING POLICE NORTH STATION | Map | |
| DALLAS COUNTY HOSP DIST PD DEHARO-SALDIVAR CENTER |
Map | |
| CARROLLTON POLICE DEPT | Map | |
| MESQUITE POLICE DEPT | Map | |
| DALLAS COUNTY HOSP DIST PD SOUTHEAST DALLAS CENTER |
Map |
More locations can be found through the official DEA website.
