Longs Peak Hospital establishes 24-hour drug disposal

LONGMONT — UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in east Longmont has created a 24-hour, year-round location that residents can use to dispose of old medications.

Unused, expired, or unwanted prescription drugs can be deposited so that they can be safely disposed.

The Longs Peak Hospital Pharmacy, 1750 E. Ken Pratt Blvd., now has an anonymous drop-off box for medications. This is the only 24-hour, year-round drug drop-off location in Longmont, according to Linda Gordon, pharmacy operations manager. Longmont Department of Public Safety and a couple of other pharmacies offer drug drop-off services during business hours as well.

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The bright green drug drop-off box was recently placed in the front hallway inside Longs Peak Hospital’s emergency department entrance to accept all prescription and over-the-counter medications as well as any liquid medications, medication samples, medicated ointments, vitamins, pet medications or medicated patches. A few items cannot be dropped off: drugs used for chemotherapy, needles, syringes, other sharps, illegal substances and marijuana.

UCHealth partnered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on the project. The department supplied the drop-off box in a joint effort to address an important factor in the nation’s drug epidemic.

“Unused medications left in medicine cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse,” Gordon said. “We want to reduce the risk of those medications falling into the wrong hands or into the hands of children by providing a convenient and safe way for people in our community to properly dispose these medications.”

Also, many health and safety hazards arise when prescription medications are disposed of incorrectly, such as flushed down the toilet or thrown out in the trash.

Longs Peak Hospital Pharmacy is the only 24-hour pharmacy in Longmont and Boulder County. For more information about its new drug drop-off service, call 720-718-1255.

UCHealth also recently launched an opioid awareness campaign to start more conversations between patients, providers and pharmacists about opioids. The goal is to help patients to advocate for themselves and ask their providers and/or pharmacists questions.

Other efforts include participating in the Colorado Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, embedding a clinical support tool into the everyday workflow to allow physicians to see alternative medications to treat pain, and participating in the Colorado Hospital Association’s Opioid Safety Pilot, which reduced the administration of opioids in 15 participating emergency departments by 36 percent in six months.