NEW HYDE PARK, NY – Do you have prescription medications at home that are unused or expired? You can safely dispose of them at Mather Hospital on Saturday, April 27 as part of this year’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
In partnership with local law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Mather will have a secure receptacle in the lobby of The Cody Ambulatory & Inpatient Surgical Pavilion on the north side of the hospital campus off Belle Terre Road from 10am to 2pm for people to safely deposit leftover medications.
Mather is one of 12 Northwell Health locations that will be participating in this year’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
“When these medications remain in people’s medicine cabinets, they create an avenue of access, and can potentially be used for purposes other than their prescribed intent,” said Sandeep Kapoor, MD, director of Northwell Health’s Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment. “We appreciate our community members partnering with us to safely remove these unneeded medications from their homes. Together, we can assist our communities as we all work to navigate the substance use crisis we are facing.”
More than 70,000 people died of a drug overdose in the United States in 2017, according to that National Institute on Drug Abuse.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is organized by the DEA and happens twice a year. In October, Northwell Health collected about 330 pounds of unused prescriptions.
For more information about National Drug Take Back Day, go to https://takebackday.dea.gov/.
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About Mather Hospital
Mather Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather has received 12 “A” ratings for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group. No other hospital in New York State has received more top ratings. For further information about Mather Hospital, visit www.matherhospital.org or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/matherhospital.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, nearly 700 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 68,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.