Medical City Denton Participates in DEA Drug Take Back Events

Oct. 28 event supports year-round efforts to “Crush the Crisis” on opioid and other drug misuse

Medical City Denton once again will join the Denton Police Department in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 28. The hospital and local law enforcement will offer the community an opportunity to safely and anonymously dispose of medications left over from previous procedures or other medical visits.

Community members are invited to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescription or over-the-counter medications at drive-thru locations on Oct. 28 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in front of the Professional Building at 3537 South I-35E in Denton 

Ointments, lotions, drops, liquid medication in leak-proof containers, vape cartridges without batteries and pet medication will also be accepted. Needles, syringes, lancets and illegal drugs will not be accepted.

In 2022, there were more than 109,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an increase from 2021. Medical City Denton is participating in the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day as part of its and HCA Healthcare’s year-round “Crush the Crisis” drug take back program. In October 2022, all 15 HCA Healthcare U.S. divisions hosted events at more than 100 locations across 17 states. Approximately 19,423 pounds, equivalent to 13.4 million doses, of unused and expired prescription medications were collected. Medical City Healthcare hospitals collected 4,100 pounds of medications over the past year at both the drug take back events and from permanent drug take back boxes located at 12 Medical City Healthcare hospitals. The permanent boxes, which are compliant with DEA regulations, can be accessed free of charge, any day of the year – not just on a specific drug take back day. A large green box in Medical City Denton's lobby is available for disposal of unused medications all of the time.

To further help combat the nation’s opioid crisis, HCA Healthcare, the parent company of Medical City Healthcare, has worked with the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic. HCA Healthcare has given $750,000 to the Collaborative to support the development of safer pain management protocols and the reversal of the opioid crisis.

As a learning health system, HCA Healthcare uses data from approximately 37 million annual patient encounters to help continuously improve care. The organization uses the science of “big data” to reduce opioid misuse and transform pain management, with initiatives in surgical, emergency and other care settings.

To learn more about Medical City Healthcare’s Drug Take Back Program or to find the location of a permanent drug take back box that is part of Medical City Healthcare’s ongoing efforts to “Crush the Crisis,” visit: https://medicalcityhealthcare.com/DrugTakeBack.