It’s time again “crush the crisis” of opioid and other drug abuse.
Multiple sites will collect unused prescription medication to combat drug misuse on Saturday, Oct. 26 as part of Drug Take Back Day, sponsored annually by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
The public is encouraged to drop off those medicines for safe disposal on Saturday.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.
HCA officials say that while drug overdose deaths decreased in the past year, prescription drug misuse remains a public health crisis in the United States. In Florida alone, 2,836 people died with at least one prescription drug in their system identified as the cause of death in the first six months of 2023. Their research shows a significant number of drug addictions and overdose deaths come from individuals accessing unused medications from family and friends.
Here is a partial list of locations that will have crews accepting prescriptions:
HCA Florida Osceola Hospital—drop-off location in front of the Osceola Medical Arts building—700 West Oak St., Kissimmee
HCA Florida Osceola East Emergency—drop-off location at the corner of Highway 192 and Live Oak Boulevard—192 and Narcoossee Road
HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital—325 Cypress Pkwy.
Poinciana Sam’s Club—4763 W. U.S. 192 (192 and Seven Dwarfs Lane)
Kissimmee Walgreens — Osceola Parkway & Buenaventura Lakes Boulevard
Kissimmee Save-A-Lot—916 13th Street
St. Cloud Haines City Police Department
Last year, 120 HCA Healthcare facilities alone collected and safely disposed of 13,136 pounds of medication— an estimated 9.02 million doses.
For more resources about Drug Take Back Day, visit www.dea.gov/takebackday.
