Last month, Johns Hopkins held its first official collection drive as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Employees and members of the community could safely drop off unused or expired prescription medications at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center Circle, which were then disposed of properly.

“We know that flushing them down the toilet is not environmentally safe,” says Meghan Swarthout, division director for ambulatory and care transitions for the pharmacy department. “So our goal was to provide a way that’s safe for patients, as well as for the environment, to get rid of their medications.”

The Johns Hopkins take back day was the only non law-enforcement take-back event in the Baltimore area, and it was a strong success.

Approximately 159 pounds of medication were collected, which is roughly the weight of 10 gallons of paint. And medications were delivered anonymously with no questions asked. Most medications were dropped off by elderly patients, or their family members and caregivers, and a large quantity of controlled substances were collected, including opioids and benzodiazepines.

Twenty Johns Hopkins pharmacy staff volunteers were on-site to securely dispose of the medications, including pharmacists, anesthesia residents, pharmacy technicians and student pharmacists. Swarthout says that the event was a success thanks to many teams, including Johns Hopkins Security. “In fact, the Drug Enforcement Administration would not have approved the event had it not been for the high caliber of our security operations,” says Swarthout.

Another take back day is being planned for October, with an additional location at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center campus.