Drug Take Back Day Encourages Community to Dispose of
Unwanted Medications
Corewell Health offers drop-off sites and resources
ST. JOSEPH & NILES, Mich., April 22, 2024 – Corewell Health™ and Berrien County Sheriff Department have teamed up once again to collect unused and unwanted prescription drugs for safe disposal on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations:
- Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals - St. Joseph Hospital, 1234 Napier Ave., St. Joseph
- Corewell Health Care Center - Niles, 42 N. St. Joseph Ave., Niles
Community members are invited to stop by to dispose of expired prescriptions and other unwanted or unneeded medications. This free and anonymous public service is part of the annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Last year, Michigan saw far too many avoidable opioid-related deaths,” said Colleen Lane, M.D., medical director,addiction medicine, Corewell Health. “So many of these deaths were related to prescription medications. By dropping off unused medications, you are playing a critical role in keeping your family and community safe.”
Berrien County Sherrif Department will oversee the local collection sites to ensure the drugs are disposed of in an appropriate manner. The DEA advises the public not to flush medications down the toilet or throw them in the trash because doing so poses potential safety and health hazards.
Additional collection sites are listed on the DEA website.
During the last National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in October 2023, DEA and its law enforcement partners came together again to protect our communities from prescription misuse by safely disposing of 599,897 pounds of unneeded medications at nearly 5,000 collection sites across the country.
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About Corewell Health™
People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 65,000+ dedicated people—including more than 12,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 15,500 nurses providing care and services in 21 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.3 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness. For more information, visit corewellhealth.org.
