Med return box installed at URI Health Services

Health officials want community to dispose of unused medications safely

KINGSTON, R.I – May 8, 2017 – It’s easy for people to forget about old, unused medicines, but they can pose a danger.

That’s why the University of Rhode Island’s Health Services is taking action with its Med Return Box program.

Health Services has installed a receptacle where people can return their unused medication in the Potter Building, 6 Butterfield Road. It is located near the facility’s pharmacy. This allows for appropriate disposal of these medications in a private and convenient location.

With this program, URI Health Services wants to:

  • Keep medications out of the hands of people who should not have them, such as children and people who are allergic to medication for example, to create a safe community.
  • Prevent medications from entering water systems, which could be dangerous to the environment and the wider community.
  • Prevent prescription drug abuse. Individuals can initially obtain such medications legally, but some become addicted. Then, they seek to obtain these medicines illegally.

URI pharmacy student, Annaliese Clancy, a South Kingstown resident, organized the student effort to promote the Med Return Box with members of the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists. They designed promotional posters to display on campus and business cards to be put in prescription bags at Health Services Pharmacy.

“It is unsafe for people to be using old or expired medications. Many people don’t know how to get rid of them, so they pile up in cabinets and drawers. This can lead to misuse and abuse of prescription drugs, including opioids, which can have detrimental effects,” Clancy said.

“I hope that the Med Return Box can bring more awareness to the opioid abuse issue. It doesn’t always start in the streets with illegal drugs: it can start by taking a few more pills than the doctor said to.”

The program is a collaboration involving URI Health Services, URI College of Pharmacy, URI Health Services Pharmacy, URI Public Safety and the Pharmacy Student Organization, with the contributions of pharmacy professors, Kelly Matson and Jayne Pawasauskas, and the Medical Director of Health Services, Dr. Fortunato Procopio.

Sarah Saltiel-Ragot, an international student from Sciences Po Rennes in France and an intern in URI’s Department of Marketing and Communications, wrote this press release.