KSP, Baptist Health Corbin participating in DEA National Drug Take-Back Day

Kentucky State Police and Baptist Health Corbin are among the organizations participating in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s 17^th annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.

Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. state police will have disposal boxes set up in their respective areas.

Post 10, which covers Knox, Bell and Harlan Counties, will set up at the post in Harlan.

Post 11, which covers Whitley, Laurel, McCreary, Clay, Rockcastle, McCreary and Wayne Counties, will set up at the Laurel County Health Department located at 525 Whitley Street off of Ky. 192 in London.

Baptist Health Corbin will have set up its disposal box at the hospital’s retail pharmacy. It is located right off the surgery entrance.

“Even after Saturday, we are going to leave it in the retail pharmacy lobby,” said Debbie Hardin, Marketing/PR Coordinator for the hospital noting the medications may be dropped off from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“The service is free and anonymous, and no questions asked,” she said.

Corbin Police and London Police have similar disposal bins in the lobby of their respective stations.

The sites will accept any type of pills or patches. However, they are not set up to accommodate liquids or needles.

Participants may dispose of the medications by either removing it from its container and dumping it directly into the box, or by simply dropping the entire container into the box.

Officials ask that if the medication remains in the container that any identifying information be removed from the label.

Since the DEA began the program 16 years ago, it and its partners have taken in approximately 11 million pounds of pills.