Saturday, April 26 is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

University Hospitals is participating in this year’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 26, 2025. Select University Hospitals locations will host booths where patients can dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications. An ambulatory care pharmacist and a law enforcement officer will staff each booth. Law enforcement will be responsible for taking and discarding collected medications. The pharmacist will be present to discuss methods of drug disposal when take-back events are not available and to answer any general medication-related questions.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a no-questions-asked biannual event (held in April and October) where communities throughout the country set up collection sites for the safe disposal of expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications. Proper disposal of unused drugs can prevent accidental poisoning, misuse and overdose.

Since the majority of people who misuse prescription drugs obtain them from family and friends, often from home medicine cabinets, the Take-Back Day event provides Americans with an opportunity to prevent drug addiction and deaths due to overdose while also helping to protect the environment. In addition, the event serves to educate the general public about medication abuse. Collection sites are held at hospital, retail and clinic pharmacies, as well as law enforcement facilities.

Over 18.5 million pounds (9,285 tons) of prescription drugs collected by the DEA since the first Take-Back Day back in the fall of 2010.

UH Drug Take-Back Day Collection Sites

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day at University Hospitals is on Saturday, April 26, 2025, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. for all below locations. Each location will have a pharmacist and a police officer at each site across UH.

Please note that the UH Ahuja, Lake West, Portage, and TriPoint Medical Centers will be providing no-cost glucose and blood pressure screenings during this event.

Free Narcan Kits: All locations will be offering free Narcan kits, free fentanyl test strips and education to the public to help reduce opioid overdoses through Project DAWN.

UH Permanent Prescription Drug Collection Sites

Available year-round.