Have you ever been prescribed a prescription medication you didn’t need to finish? If so you may have a cabinet full of unneeded or expired pills. You know you shouldn’t throw them away. But what should you do with them? Well, Novant Health has installed medication take-back containers to help you safely dispose of medications across North Carolina. You can find these containers in Novant hospital lobbies. These containers are accessible to anyone in the community free of charge. And they can be used to dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired prescription and/or OTC medications.

“Taking the extra step to properly dispose of medication can greatly reduce the risk of medications ending up in the wrong hands” said Andrea Reed, Novant Health vice president of pharmacy services in a press release. “Novant Health has installed these medication containers for everyone in our areas to use, regardless of if you are a patient, as an extension of our commitment to improve the health of our communities.”

Medication Statistics:

• 46 million Americans are exposed to trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in their drinking water
• Every 11 minutes someone in America dies from an opioid overdose
• 51% of misused prescription pain relievers are given by, bought from or taken from a friend or relative
• Every 10 minutes, a child goes to an emergency room for medication poisoning

Make sure if you have any unused medications you dispose of them safely at these convenient North Carolina locations: