Riverside Police & Kaiser Permanente Partner for National Drug Take Back Day
Published: 04/24/2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2018
CONTACT:
Officer Ryan J. Railsback
Public Information Officer
Community Services Bureau
(951) 373-6032 (Media Contact)
RIVERSIDE POLICE & KAISER PERMANENTE PARTNER FOR NATIONAL DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
RIVERSIDE, CA – The Riverside Police Department, along with other law enforcement agencies around the nation, will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s “National Prescription Drug Take Back Day” on Saturday, April 28, 2018. The event will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Kaiser Permanente Hospital, located at 10800 Magnolia Avenue in Riverside, in the northwest parking lot.
This initiative seeks to prevent pill abuse and theft through the collection of potentially dangerous and expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The Riverside Police Department is once again partnering with Kaiser Permanente and will be collecting these types of drugs for proper disposal. The event is free, anonymous, with no questions asked.
This program addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many people are not aware that medications that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends. In addition, many people do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medications, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away, both offering potential safety and health hazards. The Riverside Police Department and Kaiser Permanente will collect the unwanted pharmaceuticals and turn them over to the DEA to be safely destroyed.
For more information regarding the National Take Back Initiative, visit http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback.
