Hospital Highlights

Prescription drug take-back will be Saturday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Whitman Hospital & Medical Center. Residents with unused prescription at home can take advantage of the prescription drug take-back program.

Whitman Hospital and Medical Center is partnering with local law enforcement to receive and dispose of prescription drugs. The day is part of a program planned by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Residents can drop off drugs without getting out of their car. The hospital’s tent will be set up in the north parking lot, and staffers will offer drive-through service.

Prescription drug abuse and deaths from overdose are on the rise in this state. A study reported earlier this year stated that prescription drug overdoses kill two people per day in Washington, among the highest in the nation.

In Whitman County, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of prescription drugs confiscated by law enforcement in the last 10 years. Nationally, prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drugs by 12-13 year olds and a third of new abusers of prescription drugs were 12-17 year olds. Half of teens who abuse prescription drugs say they are easy to get from their parents’ medicine cabinets or through other people’s prescriptions.

We need to get these unused medications, especially narcotics, out of homes and off the streets. It is important to dispose of medications safely and this weekend’s take-back is one way to do that.

Debbie Glass, CEO

Whitman Hospital & Medical Center