MVH Reports Successful Drug Take-Back Event

The spring Drug-Take-Back Day in the mid-Monongahela Valley was a large success. Monongahela Valley Hospital and the Carroll Township Police Department collected 443 pounds of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.

"Studies show that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends including the home medicine cabinet," said Louis J. Panza Jr., president and CEO of Monongahela Valley Hospital. "These drug collection events provide for the safe disposal of unused and unwanted medications so that they do not end up in the wrong hands."

Held semiannually, the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of medications.

"We are grateful to Monongahela Valley Hospital for all of the support they provide to us by making their campus available for easy and convenient collection, and to the community for recognizing the importance of the safe disposal and participating in the event," said Paul Brand, chief of the Carroll Township Police Department.

For anyone who missed the event, Monongahela Valley Hospital is an authorized Drug-Take-Back site. The hospital has a permanent, secure receptacle in the Waiting Room of the Emergency Department. The locked container is accessible 24/7. Before disposing of the medications, all personal information should be removed or blacked out. While liquid products and creams in containers with secured lids are accepted, sharps and syringes are not accepted due to the potential posed by blood-borne diseases.