Mather Hospital to participate in Drug Take Back Day April 27

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Mather Hospital is offering a way to easily dispose of unused or expired prescription medications.

On Saturday, April 27, the Port Jefferson hospital will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, where staff will be accepting the medications no questions asked.

People can drop off of their medicine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the north entrance of the hospital by Belle Terre Road.

Mather is one of 12 Northwell Health locations to be participating in this bi-annual event (scroll down to see other locations.)

The last National Take Back Day was held in October, where Northwell Health collected around 330 pounds of unused prescriptions.

“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.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 70,000-plus Americans died of overdoses in 2017.

“We appreciate our community members partnering with us to safely remove these unneeded medications from their homes,” said Kapoor. “Together, we can assist our communities as we all work to navigate the substance use crisis we are facing.”