PRESS RELEASES
City of Beverly to Hold Second Medication Disposal Day
In an effort to protect the health and well-being of residents
of Beverly and the North Shore, Beverly Hospital has partnered with
the Beverly Police Department, the Beverly Health Department, the
Beverly Senior Center, the Massachusetts Department of Public
Health and the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency to hold the second
City of Beverly Medication Disposal Day on Saturday, September 26,
from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will be held at the Beverly Senior
Center and will offer residents of Beverly and surrounding
communities the opportunity to bring their unused or
no-longer-needed medications for proper disposal.
The medication disposal day is part of the City of Beverly
Medication Disposal Program which was officially launched in April
of this year. The Program is a community-wide collaboration of
health professionals including physicians, pharmacists, law and
drug enforcement officials and community leaders working together
to address the need for the proper disposal of prescription
medications and medical supplies in the community. The goal of the
Program is to encourage and aid community members in cleaning out
their medicine cabinets and properly disposing of medications and
medical supplies to protect the clean water supply; decrease the
risk of children, seniors or others ingesting medications by
mistake; and eliminate the possibility of medications getting into
the hands of those who may improperly use them.
"We are very pleased to collaborate again with local
organizations to hold another Medication Disposal Day in the City
of Beverly," said Heather Jones, director of community and public
relations for Beverly Hospital and its affiliates. "At our last
disposal event in April, we were able to collect approximately 8000
pills from community members for proper disposal and we hope to
have the same success at our follow-up event on September 26."
For the convenience of the community, the upcoming medication
disposal day will utilize a drive-through method to dispose of
medication. Items accepted at the event will include the following:
prescription and over-the-counter medication, medication samples,
vitamins, veterinary medications, narcotics and liquid medications.
Items not accepted include: "sharps" (needles and other sharp
medical supplies) thermometers, IV bags, bloody or infectious
waste, personal care products, hydrogen peroxide, empty containers
and inhalers. All items will be received on a "no questions asked"
basis and will be appropriately disposed of or destroyed by the
Beverly Police Department and Beverly Hospital.
To learn more about The City of Beverly Medication Disposal
Program, please attend the upcoming medication disposal day at the
Beverly Senior Center, or contact Gerald MacKillop Jr., community
relations manager for Beverly Hospital, at 978-236-1615.
Beverly Hospital
Beverly Hospital is a full service, community hospital providing
quality, patient-centered care to North Shore and Cape Ann
residents. Services include maternity, pediatrics, surgical,
orthopedics, cardiology, as well as other specialties. The hospital
boasts a medical staff of more than 600 physicians and its service
area includes some 13 communities. Beverly Hospital has been
nationally recognized by Solucient Institute as a 100 Top Hospital
five times in the past eight years. Beverly Hospital is a
member of Northeast Health System.
